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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — <\/span>The packed race for California governor has left many Democrats in the state wrestling with who to vote for in the race’s closing days.<\/p>\n Though voting began in early May ahead of the June 2 primary, Democrats have been returning their ballots at a slower pace than normal after a chaotic campaign full of surprises. Unlike recent races for governor, there’s been no clear frontrunner or political superstar (think Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger or Democrat Jerry Brown).<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m kind of pinching my nose and voting this go-around rather than being excited,\u201d said Colin Culver, a 21-year-old San Diego resident who ultimately voted for Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund manager turned climate activist.<\/p>\n Democrats have been particularly perplexed given the state’s top-two primary system<\/a>, which places all candidates on a single ballot regardless of party. There are roughly 60 candidates vying to succeed termed-out Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. They include six major Democrats and just two prominent Republicans.<\/p>\n With the large number of Democrats running, party leaders feared months ago<\/a> that the two leading Republicans, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton, could advance, locking out Democrats. That scenario has grown less likely after former Rep. Eric Swalwell<\/a> dropped out of the race after being accused of sexual assault, but the scandal further rattled anxious Democrats. President Donald Trump endorsed Hilton in April, which may have coalesced GOP support behind him and decreased the odds of a Republican upset in a state that hasn\u2019t had a Republican governor since 2011.<\/p>\n But the fear among voters remains. Some Democrats are waiting to cast their ballots to see if one candidate breaks away from the pack in the final days, relying on polling to help make their decision. Others have struggled to make up their minds, reluctantly choosing a candidate after being unimpressed with the field.<\/p>\n Even Democrats who typically have a high turnout in primary elections \u2014 often older, white voters \u2014 have been slow to drop off their ballots, said Paul Mitchell, a Democratic strategist tracking ballot returns.<\/p>\n \u201cMy joke is: Call your Democratic parents and tell them to turn in their ballot,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are holding onto the ballot because they have seen this kind of topsy-turvy governor\u2019s race. They\u2019re waiting to make sure they\u2019re making the right choice.\u201d<\/p>\n About 10% of the state’s roughly 23 million voters had voted as of Wednesday, according to Mitchell’s tracker. That includes about 15% of Republicans, 10% of Democrats and 7% of voters registered with no or another party. That breakdown is unusual because Democrats in recent years have tended to vote early while many Republicans wait until Election Day.<\/p>\n Former state attorney general and federal Health secretary Xavier Becerra and Steyer are among the top Democrats voters are weighing. <\/p>\n A poll conducted in mid-May by the Public Policy Institute of California found that Becerra and Hilton each have the support of about 2 in 10 likely California primary voters. Steyer, Bianco and former Congresswoman Katie Porter each drew the support of between 10% and 15% of likely voters in the survey. No other candidates were polling in double digits.<\/p>\n Support for Becerra has increased from only 5% in a PPIC poll conducted in late March and early April, when Swalwell was still in the race.<\/p>\n Some voters aren’t relying on the polls to make their choice. That includes San Francisco native Mary O\u2019Neal, who voted for former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa because she liked his record leading the city from 2005 to 2013. Although he’s been on the debate stages, he’s failed to generate significant support.<\/p>\n Fresno native Alexa Duran, 22, a recent graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, said she\u2019s leaning toward Becerra, despite her concerns about his refusal as attorney general to investigate the killing of a Latino man by an officer in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cI know he has tons of political experience, but I\u2019m just not sure if he\u2019s the right candidate,\u201d Duran said.<\/p>\n Amber Larson, 41, a judicial analyst for the state living in Chico, likes Ramsey Robinson, a socialist candidate. But casting her ballot for him would be a \u201cwaste\u201d due to his slim odds, she said. <\/p>\n She doesn’t want to support a longtime politician \u2014 Becerra \u2014 and she’s skeptical of billionaires \u2014 Steyer.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we at a point where only a billionaire can beat an establishment, career politician?\u201d Larson said, referencing Steyer spending millions<\/a> to largely self-fund his campaign.<\/p>\n She planned to go with Steyer anyway because she likes his energy affordability plans and since he’s one of the leading candidates.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to throw my vote away,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u2014-<\/p>\n Associated Press journalists Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles and Terry Chea in San Francisco contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n