00:00Today, I'm going to be discussing an unusual and highly controversial development in the race for
00:04governor of California. Republican frontrunner Steve Hilton has published an opinion piece in
00:09the pages of the California Post demanding that his Republican rival, Chad Bianco, drop out of
00:14the race. Hilton argues that the only way to make sure that one Republican qualifies for the general
00:19election is for Republican voters to consolidate behind him, since Chad Bianco is falling away in
00:24the polls. It is true that Democrats Javier Becerra and Tom Steyer have been gaining ground, especially
00:30since the departure of Eric Swalwell. But it does not seem clear that even if Hilton does qualify for
00:36the general election, that he can win against a Democrat. In fact, the only way for any Republican
00:42to win a general election for governor is to make sure that the only other candidate is also a
00:47Republican. The voter registration disadvantage that Republicans face is simply that large.
00:52Hilton did call for Chad Bianco to drop out earlier in the race. Bianco responded by saying he wouldn't,
00:58and also by offering a sort of truce with Steve Hilton, which both of them honored at the recent
01:03debates. But now, with crunch time looming and voting due on June 2nd, Steve Hilton is saying now
01:10is the time for Bianco to drop out and to unify the opposition. It's not clear this will work,
01:15especially because California voters have already been returning their ballots for two weeks, and if
01:20Bianco dropped out, his name would still be on the ballot. He might also risk disenfranchising tens
01:26of thousands of voters who may have already cast their ballots for him. So what Steve Hilton is
01:30asking him to do is rather controversial, to say the least. However, it could be the only way to make
01:36sure there's a Republican at the top of the ticket, which many Republicans believe is essential for other
01:41down ticket races, as well as the ballot initiatives that Republicans want to see passed this November.
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