Fearing GOP upset, top California Democrat urges lagging candidates for governor to drop out of race

California's top Democrat has a message for his party's candidates who are lagging in the race for governor: If you can't win, get out of the race. State party Chair Rusty Hicks is fearful that a large Democratic field seeking to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will dilute the party's vote in the June primary. That could let only two Republicans advance to the November election. A GOP victory for the state's highest office would be a seismic shock in the nation's most populous state, where a Republican hasn't won a statewide election in two decades.