SACRAMENTO, California –The field running to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom goeslack of star powerbut the contest itself was not short of plot twists.
After waiting in vain for a serious candidate likeFormer Vice President Kamala Harrisor Senator Alex Padilla, Democratic leaders began to fear the worst: most Democrats divided the votes so that both leading Republicans, former Fox News anchor Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, could advance from the runoff on June 2 – raising the unimaginable prospect of the GOP governor of California.



