{"id":48348,"date":"2026-05-20T14:21:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T21:21:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=48348"},"modified":"2026-05-20T14:21:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T21:21:54","slug":"tom-steyer-is-clear-progressive-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/05\/20\/tom-steyer-is-clear-progressive-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Tom Steyer is Clear Progressive Choice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by\u00a0Randy Shaw<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0May 18, 2026 (BeyondChron.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Will Democrats Take Top Two?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

California\u2019s Governor\u2019s race has shifted. The risk of two Republicans topping the field has sharply declined. Xavier Becerra is first or second in recent polls with Tom Steyer close behind; both could make the November runoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was out of the country when polls found Eric Swalwell voters primarily switching to Becerra. Bacerra has since become the Democratic frontrunner. How long this lasts is unclear. After long being ignored by rivals, Becerra is under attack in both paid media and major newspapers. He may have peaked too soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve always had good feelings about Becerra. I met him last fall where we had a brief talk. I told him how disappointed I was that Senator Alex Padilla decided not to run for Governor; I didn\u2019t know Becerra was a candidate).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progressives are Backing Steyer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With Becerra now among the top two in polls, he offers the historic opportunity for California to elect a Latino Governor. But as looked into his backers I found virtually no progressive legislators. I had previously noted that two of the most solid Sacramento progressives\u2014Isaac Bryan of Culver City and San Jose\u2019s Alex Lee\u2014had endorsed Tom Steyer. Steyer has since been endorsed by the California Nurses Association, the California Teachers Association, UNITE HERE, the Sierra Club and a host of other progressive organizations<\/a> and activists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Betty Yee, my original choice for governor, left the race and endorsed Steyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some are reluctant to favor a white billionaire over a longtime Latino public official. But the political differences between Steyer and Becerra are not a close call. Steyer is clearly more progressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steyer would be among the nation\u2019s most progressive governors. And likely California\u2019s most progressive governor since Jerry Brown first two terms. Unlike Brown and Gavin Newsom, Steyer would work more closely with legislators and constituency groups. Lacking the charisma and personal following of his predecessors, Steyer would bring a more collaborative leadership model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Billionaires have spent millions attacking Steyer. Many rich people see Steyer as a traitor to his class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mystery of CA Politics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The California economy is among the world\u2019s largest. Yet few voters pay close attention to legislative actions in Sacramento. Nor do they seem well informed about what Governor Newsom actually does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There isn\u2019t much media coverage about what happens in California government outside of Newsom press events. I don\u2019t think most California voters have a clear sense of the governor\u2019s powers. They clearly do not hear enough about the backroom dealing that is par for the course in Sacramento.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California\u2019s governor can create a positive progressive political model for the nation. Newsom tries to do this but when he promotes progressive state policies he\u2019s accused of really promoting his expected 2028 presidential run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Promoting a California policy model won\u2019t be a problem for Tom Steyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What About Porter and Mahan?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Katie Porter is a solid progressive. She simply has not resonated with the electorate. In recent polls Porter is at 10% and 12%. She will not become California\u2019s first woman governor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For moderate Democrats, San Jose\u2019s Matt Mahan remains in the race. In a February story<\/a> I foresaw a huge upside for Mahan. I thought he could become the front-runner. But his campaign never took off despite ample funding from the tech sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two most recent polls have Mahan in 6th<\/sup> place at 7% and 8%. It appears Mahan wasn\u2019t ready to run a statewide campaign. Gavin Newsom held elective office for over a decade before running for Lieutenant Governor; Mahan started his political career on the San Jose City Council in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The overwhelming Democratic legislature is not as progressive as many believe. That\u2019s why progressives need to support the most progressive governor\u2019s candidate who can win. Tom Steyer is the one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Randy Shaw<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Randy Shaw is the Editor of Beyond Chron and the Director of San Francisco\u2019s Tenderloin Housing Clinic, which publishes Beyond Chron. Shaw’s new book is the revised and updated, The Tenderloin: Sex, Crime and Resistance in the Heart of San Francisco. His prior books include Generation Priced Out: Who Gets to Live in the New Urban America. The Activist’s Handbook: Winning Social Change in the 21st Century, and Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Posts<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0Randy Shaw\u00a0on\u00a0May 18, 2026 (BeyondChron.org) Will Democrats Take Top Two? California\u2019s Governor\u2019s race has shifted. The risk of two Republicans topping the field has sharply declined. Xavier Becerra is first or second in recent polls with Tom Steyer close behind; both could make the November runoff. I was out of… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[281,1911],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48348"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48348"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48349,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48348\/revisions\/48349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}