California Democrats know how to manipulate the field of candidates to produce the governor’s race they want.

That’s what I learned in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom.

It is not a loss that gives me sleepless nights. 

It is, however, annoying that people, including veteran political analysts and pundits, get wrong exactly what happened.

Why? Because the truth is instructive as to how Democrats maneuver, and what could be happening in the gubernatorial race in 2026.

After the 2021 vote, post-recall critics said I ran a “pro-Trumpian” campaign. 

Others said I should not have accepted the endorsement of a “pro-life extremist.” 

A Los Angeles Times columnist called me “the black face of white supremacy” because I supposedly downplayed racism.

I was also vastly outspent. 

The Los Angeles Times editorial board opposed the recall, calling it “undemocratic,” and endorsed Newsom, as it did when Newsom first ran for governor. 

President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama, among other prominent Democrats, opposed the recall and supported........

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