Former state Controller Betty Yee dropped her campaign for California governor Monday, thinning the field of Democrats seeking the office.
Yee told CBS News her decision was prompted by recent polling conducted by her campaign.
In a subsequent statement, she called the race “one of the most unusual, unpredictable and unsettling races in modern California history.”
“But through it all, my values and vision for California never wavered,” she said. “My campaign stayed grounded in the simple, but powerful principles I learned growing up as the child of immigrants: integrity matters, character counts and protecting our communities — and one another — is a shared responsibility.
“I spent my entire career working to make government more accountable, more transparent and more responsive to the people it serves. I’ve fought for a California where dignity, respect and opportunity are not reserved for the few, but afforded to all. That commitment is stronger than ever. Campaigns end, but the work of serving Californians and fighting for a more accountable, inclusive future goes on.”
She denied to CBS News that the move was in response to pressure from the Democratic Party to reduce the number of candidates in a field that has been led in most polls by a pair of Republicans — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News personality Steve Hilton.
Yee’s departure follows the recent exit of Democratic front-runner Rep. Eric Swalwell, whose campaign imploded following the surfacing of sexual assault allegations.
Their exit from the race leaves six leading Democrats still vying for the governor’s office — former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Rep. Katie Porter, former Assemblyman and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and businessman/activist Tom Steyer.
