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Voting ends today in California's primary election, and polls show the race for governor is the closest in decades. Under the state's unique primary system, the top two finishers, regardless of party, advance to the general election. From member station KQED, Guy Marzorati reports that the unpredictable race and wide-open field has some voters feeling uncertain.
GUY MARZORATI, BYLINE: Every voter in California receives a ballot in the mail a month before the election. Kathleen Taylor (ph), a Democrat who lives in the Bay Area's Marin County, usually doesn't let it sit around long.
KATHLEEN TAYLOR: Yeah. We're usually early voters. The minute we get our ballots, we vote.
MARZORATI: She was out of town with her husband, Fred, for a bit but...
TAYLOR: We've been back two days, and we still haven't voted.
MARZORATI: So what's the hold up? In part, uncertainty over who to vote for in the race for governor.
TAYLOR: I personally been waiting for just that aha moment, where a candidate breaks out, and you're like, yes, that's what I wanted to hear. Now, what do I want to hear? I'm not quite sure. But, you know, I think I would know it when I hear it.
MARZORATI: Taylor wasn't alone in waiting. This year, Democrats voted early at lower rates than in California's last primary election for governor. Political strategist Mike Madrid says there's a couple theories for this uncertainty.
MIKE MADRID: The first is because of the lackluster nature of the field.
MARZORATI: For many months, the campaign to succeed Gavin Newsom was defined by who was deciding not to run - former Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and state Attorney General Rob Bonta all passed.
MADRID: Because we don't have sort of a rock star at the top of the ballot, a lot of people have not been paying as much attention as they normally have.
MARZORATI: Another theory for why Democrats have been holding on to their ballots...
MADRID: Because they're voting much more strategic.
MARZORATI: A previous Democratic frontrunner, former Congressman Eric Swalwell, ended his campaign in April in the face of numerous sexual assault allegations.
MADRID: There's a deep concern about candidate weaknesses because I think a lot of people felt burned by the Eric Swalwell implosion.
MARZORATI: Even before that, Democrats were worried that the fractured field of Democratic candidates would allow two Republicans to finish first and second in the primary. Madrid says this has led Democrats to wait until a clear frontrunner emerges.
MADRID: And they'll almost choose any candidate who is the most viable, who is the safest, as long as it's not a Republican.
MARZORATI: Recent polling has shown that the chances of two Republicans in the general election are near zero. Instead, there's a growing possibility that two Democrats could make it out of the primary. Mark DiCamillo, director of UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies Poll, says it looks like a close race between three candidates for two spots in November.
MARK DICAMILLO: Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton and Tom Steyer are now separating themselves from the very crowded field of candidates that we've had all campaign season.
(CROSSTALK)
MARZORATI: All three spent the weekend making their final pitch to voters across the state.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) Becerra, Becerra, Becerra.
MARZORATI: A Democrat and former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, rallied home care workers in San Jose.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
XAVIER BECERRA: We will fight to make sure that your work is recognized.
MARZORATI: Fellow Democrat Tom Steyer, a former hedge fund manager, touted his progressive platform to voters in San Francisco.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TOM STEYER: As governor, I will raise taxes on the billionaires, myself included.
MARZORATI: And Republican Steve Hilton, a former U.K. political adviser and Fox News host, gathered with supporters in the Bay Area suburb of San Carlos.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
STEVE HILTON: We have an amazing crowd. We're out here. We are fighting for change. We're going to make it happen. Everyone, get out and vote for change. Vote Steve Hilton.
MARZORATI: More than three-quarters of Californians now vote by mail, which adds time to the vote counting process. So if Hilton, Becerra and Steyer remain separated by just a few points, we may not know the results of this primary for days or even weeks. For NPR News, I'm Guy Marzorati in San Jose.
(SOUNDBITE OF KENDRICK LAMAR SONG, "MONEY TREES") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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