Newsom Reveals Democrats’ ‘Break the Glass’ Plan to Stop GOP Sweep in Governor Race
“There is a ‘break the glass’ scenario and there’s many people that have a deep understanding of what it would look like if Democrats were locked out and we’re going to do everything to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Asked about the possibility of two Republicans advancing from the upcoming gubernatorial primary during a Q&A following his budget presentation on Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters that Democrats have a “break-the-glass” contingency plan to ensure that at least one Democrat survives the contest.
California will hold a “jungle primary” on June 2, with all candidates — regardless of party — competing on a single ballot. The top two finishers will advance to a November runoff.
Republican candidate, former Fox News host Steve Hilton, currently leads the pack. The RealClearPolitics polling average currently shows Hilton at 20% and the other GOP candidate, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, at 13%.
While the prospect of Hilton and Bianco locking all Democratic candidates out of the general election appears less likely than it did just two weeks ago, Democrats apparently have a plan to ensure it doesn’t happen.
In the clip below, Newsom, who has so far refused to endorse a candidate in the race, said he does “not see that scenario taking place.”
He added, “There is a ‘break the glass’ scenario and there’s many people that have a deep understanding of what it would look like if Democrats were locked out and we’re going to do everything to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
While he did not provide specifics, Politico reported:
[T]he Democratic Governors Association recently began sending mail highlighting Republican Steve Hilton as a fierce conservative. The ostensible opposition campaign could drive GOP voters to Hilton, ensuring he consolidates the party’s voters and saps the support of the other Republican candidate, Chad Bianco, enough to keep him from finishing in the top two.
Here’s Gov. Gavin Newsom confirming a “break-the-glass” contingency plan in case two Republicans take both top spots in California’s June 2 jungle primary.
He says Democrats are prepared to do “everything” to make sure at least one Democrat advances to November.
Does this tie… https://t.co/0aldygzR8B pic.twitter.com/yxIF4fkYj6
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) May 15, 2026
Regarding his lack of an endorsement, Newsom noted, the field is full of “a lot of good Democrats I’ve worked with for years and years and years on the ballot making their case.”
Newsom explained that he completely understands the candidates’ frustration, because he “was in a similar position with a similar stubborn governor that refused to get involved.”
In 2018, during his first run for the governor’s mansion, then-incumbent Gov. Jerry Brown (D) refused to endorse a candidate. Newsom said, “I developed tremendous animus towards him, and now I offer forgiveness.”
As this race has shown, the campaign trail has been marked by plenty of twists and turns, some dramatic, such as former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s withdrawal last month, and others more subtle.
In the immediate aftermath of Swalwell’s spectacular political collapse, far-left billionaire Tom Steyer emerged as the leading Democratic candidate. But over the past two weeks, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has surged past Steyer and gained significant momentum. Becerra is now running neck and neck with Hilton in recent polling. The RealClearPolitics average places Becerra at 19.8%, just 0.2 points behind Hilton — effectively a statistical dead heat.
Steyer, meanwhile, sits at 14% in the polling average, narrowly ahead of Bianco, who stands at 13%.
It may be worth taking a closer look at what precisely Democratic operatives are doing behind the scenes to shape — and potentially influence — the trajectory of this race. With so much at stake, you can bet Democrats will pull out all the stops to prevent a Republican from capturing the governorship.
That reality raises broader questions about coordination, spending, ballot harvesting operations, and other political tactics that could affect the outcome of the contest long before votes are cast. Just as the Republican National Committee deployed teams of attorneys ahead of the 2024 presidential election to monitor election procedures and respond quickly to potential irregularities, Republicans may want to consider a similarly proactive legal and organizational strategy in California’s gubernatorial race.
Similar to what pundits say about any potential deal with Iran, when dealing with Democrats, the guiding principle should be: “Don’t trust and verify, verify, verify.”
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn.
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Comments
So he has an ominously named game plan, but won’t explain what it means.
I wouldn’t put it past Newsom to plagiarize Kristallnacht,
Xavier Becerra is the Obama faction candidate. He was always the intended jungle primary candidate. The media outlet CalMatters is California Pravda – watch who they promote.
Team Obama systematically cleared the decks. Cesar Chavez thrown overboard for The Cause, Swalwell finished off by democrat party hatchetwoman Gloria Alred, no one likes Katie Porter and Steyer is unelectable but team Obama don’t dare insult him; they want to milk that silly cow dry.
For those who don’t get it – Obama hates Newsom and his fairy-story-soyboy clique.
*Matt Mahan had a slim hope, but laced his shoes together and fell on his fool-face.
Gavin: i will sell the communists and Iran the oil from my hair, and in return, they will finance my propaganda machine.
the democrats can’t help them selves , they rig the primary and now they was to rig the election
The Democrats are saying what their donors want to hear. Don’t worry, we will cheat.
In other words Obama will make phone calls demanding Democrats he doesn’t like leaves the race in order to unite the leftist vote.
The party of the mentally ill in action.
The 3 Vote Monte is a scam, wouldn’t doubt the Marxists will do something if their Card Monte doest work as they planned.
In other words, they’ll cheat. Meet the new plan, same as the old plan.
That is also my opinion.
Was it not the Democrats who pushed so hard for the jungle primary system in the first place?
Well, yes, yes it was. But that was when the jungle style cut out Republicans. This is different! ™
Think38:
“This is (D)ifferent™”
FIFY.
This sounds like the old Rush Limbaugh “Operation Chaos” playbook!
I enjoy watching Becerra/Steyer/Porter perform like crabs in a boiling pot, pulling each other back to prevent one escaping. My preference is Hilton/Bianco into the general with Hilton winning. I would be OK with Bianco over the three Dems
“there’s many people that have a deep understanding of what it would look like if Democrats were locked out and we’re going to do everything to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
But if the lockout happens to Republicans, why, it’s working just as designed.
To be honest it doesn’t matter a damn if a Republican -no matter how good- get elected. Other than whatever veto power he can use, he’s powerless against the legislature.
Democrats hold a large majority in both chambers: Assembly — 60 of 80 seats (15-seat margin over the 41 needed for a majority); Senate — 32 of 40 seats (12-seat margin over the 21 needed for a majority).
To a degree, it would matter because of the things they aren’t doing. Not doing things that cause active harm also matters.
A governor in California does not have quite the same pardon power as in other states. But the governor could radically abuse the pardon power to make a point. He could also call out the bad behavior of the legislature. He could ask (but not command) the sheriffs not to enforce clearly unconstitutional laws. He could demand the executive review the overall debt of the state each week, and propose plans to reduce the debt.
A governor could explain to the Feds that the legislature is, in practice, in a state of rebellion against the US. He could declare a state of emergency and use emergency powers to deal with the widespread lawlessness in the urban areas.
Newsome and his crony’s in Sacramento will do anything to keep a Republican from digging into the corruption, fraud and dirty dealings that have destroyed California.
California will go the way California voters want it to go…down the drain.
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