Commentary: This is the most compelling California governor's race in ages. Really.

"Voters, unlike some pundits, aren't looking to be entertained or amused by the state's next leader. In the absence of a putative A-list candidate, the crowded field has yielded good, healthy competition. Pity poor California. No, on top of all that voters have been subjected to - the horror! - a dull and drab gubernatorial campaign, burdened by a surfeit of C- and D-list candidates with all the electricity and elan of a tepid bath."

"Where are the A-listers? Where are the lights? The cameras? The action? The fact that those dreary assessments have very little to do with t he actual wants and needs of the vast majority of Californians - not to mention the state's history of electing mostly dull and drab governors - should give their authors pause. It hasn't. Contra all the stifled yawns and thinly veiled condescension, the contest - now in its final stretch - is the most compelling California gubernatorial campaign in decades."

"Come November, voters could elect the first female governor in state history, or possibly the first Latino governor in more than 150 years. (They might also install California's first billionaire governor, a considerably less uplifting and monumental achievement, but historic nonetheless.) Depending on the result, the election could also solidify a notable shift in California's political power balance, from the long-reigning San Francisco Bay Area ... to Southern California ..."

"True, there's no pyrotechnic personality in the expansive field of gubernatorial hopefuls. But this is no group of slouches. "Look at the resumes of these people. There's nothing embarrassing," sa"

California’s gubernatorial race has lacked high-profile “A-list” personalities and has been criticized as dull, but voters are not primarily seeking entertainment. The crowded field has produced meaningful competition despite the absence of widely recognized stars. The election could result in historic outcomes, including the first female governor or the first Latino governor in more than 150 years, with the possibility of a billionaire governor as well. The result may also shift California’s political power balance from the long-dominant San Francisco Bay Area to Southern California. The candidates’ backgrounds are presented as credible, with no embarrassing resumes.

Read at Los Angeles Times