The Clock Has Run Out

Tuesday, June 2 is primary day in California, according to the California Secretary of State's official election calendar. Whatever was going to happen in this race has now happened. Voters decide what comes next.

The top two finishers — regardless of party — advance to the November general election. That single rule has made this primary genuinely consequential in a way most California primaries are not.

Where the Race Stands Right Now

The most recent publicly available poll, from Emerson College updated May 31, puts Democrat Xavier Becerra ahead by 6 points, according to The New York Times poll tracker. That's a notable shift. Earlier in the cycle, the Democratic field was so fractured that two Republicans were near the top of multiple polls.

What changed? Eric Swalwell dropped out following sexual assault allegations. And President Trump endorsed Republican Steve Hilton, which consolidated GOP support behind one candidate instead of splitting it, per the Times.

Both moves reshuffled the deck. Swalwell's exit freed up Democratic votes. Hilton's Trump bump made him the clear Republican to beat.

Ruffalo's Endorsement Backfires Immediately

Mark Ruffalo endorsed Tom Steyer on Thursday via Instagram — and his own progressive fanbase turned on him within hours.

According to Breitbart, Ruffalo posted that "Tom has spent the last two decades working to stop climate change" and accused Becerra of being "bought and paid for by Big Oil and other corporations that have spent nearly $50 million to elect him."

Then came the self-own.

Ruffalo, who has publicly and repeatedly criticized billionaires, attempted to draw a distinction between Steyer and what he called an "oligarch." He wrote: "While I'm not a fan of billionaires and see no reason for people to have that kind of wealth, I think there is a distinction between an oligarch and a billionaire."

His fans were not buying it.

"Steyer could help millions of people without ever holding office. With his money TODAY. But instead he's spent $300 million on his presidential run and this governor run," one commenter wrote, per Breitbart's reporting.

Another: "Steyer doesn't need the title of governor to do any of the things he claims to want to do, he's a billionaire!!!"

A celebrity famous for railing against billionaires endorsed a billionaire — and the progressive base called him out harder than any conservative outlet did.

What Ruffalo Actually Said Steyer Would Do

Beyond climate, Ruffalo's endorsement laid out a specific policy pitch for Steyer. Per Breitbart's reporting, Ruffalo said Steyer is calling for ICE to be abolished, will "hold ICE accountable for crimes in California," opposes the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, and supports taxing the rich — "including himself."

He also attacked Becerra directly, claiming Becerra has not supported calls to tax billionaires.

These are concrete policy contrasts. Mainstream media coverage of this endorsement focused on the celebrity angle. The actual policy content — abolishing ICE, taking sides in a major media merger, the billionaire-taxes debate — received less attention.

The Becerra Corporate Money Claim Needs Scrutiny

Ruffalo's $50 million corporate spending claim against Becerra is a serious allegation. AP News listed Becerra as a top candidate but provided no spending breakdown. The Times mentioned him as a leading Democrat. None of the major outlets in this news cycle have published a detailed fact-check with specifics.

If that number is accurate, it's a major story. If it's inflated progressive spin, that's also a story. Right now, it remains unchallenged.

What the Media Is Getting Wrong

Left-leaning outlets like AP and the Times are treating this as a standard horse-race primary. Poll numbers, candidate names, topline facts.

Breitbart correctly identified the Ruffalo hypocrisy angle — but framed it primarily as culture-war entertainment rather than digging into the genuine policy substance of what Steyer is actually promising.

California's most consequential open-governor race in years features a billionaire trying to buy the statehouse while a celebrity endorser accidentally proved his critics' point about billionaire power — and the state's Democratic base is visibly split between an establishment attorney general and a self-funding progressive who promises to abolish a federal law enforcement agency.

What It Means for Regular People

If Becerra finishes first and Hilton second, California gets a traditional Democrat-vs.-Republican November race. If Steyer edges out Becerra, the state faces a choice between a Trump-backed conservative and a billionaire who wants to shut down ICE and tax himself.

Either way, whoever wins in November inherits Gavin Newsom's mess — a state with a massive budget deficit, a homeless crisis that has cost billions with little to show for it, and businesses leaving faster than they're arriving.

No endorsement from an Avenger changes any of that.