Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Tom Woodard has suspended his campaign and endorsed Republican Steve Hilton in California’s upcoming primary, calling on other Libertarians to support Hilton ahead of the June election.
Hilton’s campaign published a video last week featuring Woodard, who said he was “really happy” to endorse Hilton after concluding that a Libertarian could not win the race outright. “After a hard run, I realized that a Libertarian doesn’t have a chance except to ally ourselves with the one person who can change California governance for good, and that’s Steve Hilton,” Woodard said. “I hardly [sic] endorse him, and I encourage all Libertarians that hear this to endorse him as well.”
Woodard was previously endorsed by the Libertarian Party of California at its February state convention, where he received the support of a majority of delegates. He is the only Libertarian gubernatorial candidate listed on the June 2 primary ballot, which includes 60 other candidates and appears to be the longest ballot of the election cycle anywhere.
His decision comes as Hilton has polled among the strongest Republican candidates in the race. A recent Inside California Politics/Emerson College Polling survey found Democrat Xavier Becerra leading the gubernatorial field with 19 percent support, followed by Hilton and Tom Steyer, also a Democrat, at 17 percent each. Earlier polling from the same partnership also placed Hilton ahead of the Republican field, with 17 percent support compared with 14 percent for Chad Bianco.
California uses a top-two primary system for governor as well as most of its other state and congressional offices. All candidates appear on the same primary ballot regardless of party preference, and the two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the general election, even if they are from the same party.
Woodard’s name will remain on the ballot despite the endorsement, as ballots have already been printed. The Libertarian Party of California is also not at risk of losing its ballot-qualified status as a result of Woodard’s decision, as the party remains well above the voter-registration threshold needed to maintain recognition under state law.
The bad thing is that under California’s awful Top Two Primary law Libertarian Party candidates in most races have been reduced to even smaller blips on the radar screen than they used to be before the Top Two Primary law passed.
The California Party executive committee voted to rescind the Party’s endorsement of Tom Woodard. The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County will conduct a vote to rescind their endorsement of Tom Woodrad.
As a member of the California Party I suggest we suspend Tom Woodard’s membership for at least one year. I will not be voting for him.
Steve Hilton has made some valid criticism of California’s governmnent, stressing that they are the result of one-party rule. But he is not as articulate in opposing taxes and regulation as San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. Also, Steve Hilton is no libertarian on social issues. A Bay Area radio station reports that Steve Hilton if elected is willing to extradita an abortion doctor to Louisiana. That is unacceptable to a California Libertarian. I have posted an article on the California Libertarian Report on the threat posed by big government billionaire Tom Steyer https://calibertarianreport.com/2026/05/22/tom-steyer-wants-to-take-your-money/
Yet another example of why I left the Libertarian Party for the Greens. The LP establishment, regardless of whatever state we might be discussing, and an overwhelming majority of their candidates. seem completely content to be the GOP JV team, and pathetically content to lay down like beaten dogs and lick the GOP’s boots. Those of us in the third-party movement who really want to implement change need to wake up to the simple fact that the LP is nothing more than a tool of the oligarchy and failed status quo.
>The Libertarian Party of California is also not at risk of losing its ballot-qualified status as a result of Woodard’s decision, as the party remains well above the voter-registration threshold needed to maintain recognition under state law.
That’s because at my urging in 2011, they did exactly that. Saved LPCA’s ballot access in spite of the Top Two B.S.
>Woodard’s name will remain on the ballot despite the endorsement, as ballots have already been printed.
>He is the only Libertarian gubernatorial candidate listed on the June 2 primary ballot, which includes 60 other candidates and appears to be the longest ballot of the election cycle anywhere.
Kinda stupid to drop out with that much dilution on the primary ballot.
Kinda stupid to drop out in any case, especially only two weeks out from the primary.
Woodard was right the first time – “I hardly endorse him”. The CA LP ought to drum him right out of the party.