SAN DIEGO — As a native Californian who has lived here most of my life and can't imagine living anywhere else, I've been eager for several weeks to comment on the governor's race in my home state.

At the same time, I've been resisting that urge by actively focusing on just about anything else. Because the more I look at the line-up of candidates who will be on the June 2 ballot, the more depressed I become.

The nation's most populous state is afflicted with myriad afflictions. But looking at the eight applicants for the state's top job — six Democrats, two Republicans — reminds us that the cure can be worse than the disease.

About a month ago, I remember telling a friend and fellow Californian that I thought the 2026 governor's race was cursed.

I was referring to the fact that there were so many Democrats running that none of them could break away from the pack and they were instead likely to split the vote and help put a Republican in the governor's mansion.

All that gave the race a weird vibe — the kind where anything can happen.

Now, 30 days later, the word "cursed" seems almost quaint. What we have here is a man-made disaster. In fact, anyone who goes near this toxic bunch of candidates would be wise to wear a hazmat suit.

In mid-April, we saw the abrupt exit from the race of one of the frontrunners, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., amid multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. We've also witnessed at least three debates, each more excruciating to watch than the one before.

With only a few weeks before votes are cast, several candidates seem to really dislike each other.

They're not the only ones. With a mixture of professional politicians who haven't done anything and shyster novices who don't know what they're doing, this peanut gallery is a hot mess.

A recent Evitarus poll sponsored by The California Democratic Party found that 18% of respondents supported former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a card-carrying member of the Democratic establishment who seems incapable of throwing a rhetorical punch even in self-defense. Another 18% supported former Fox News host Steve Hilton, a Republican who is so afraid of offending President Donald Trump that the immigrant from Great Britain parrots Trump's nativist rhetoric and won't even admit that the Mad King lost the 2020 election.

Nipping at the heels of both Becerra and Hilton, we have the 16% of respondents who still "don't know" who to support. The more Californians are exposed to these candidates, the more undecided they become.

What a cruel joke that, in a state as remarkable as California — 39.6 million people (about 12% of the U.S. population), 54 electoral votes (20% of the 270 that elects a president), an annual GDP of $4.25 trillion making California's economy the fourth largest in the world behind Germany, China and the United States — the choices for governor could be so mediocre.

That's a shame, but it's no surprise. This is what happens in a deep-blue state where Democrats control everything — or a deep-red state like Texas where Republicans control most things. There must be checks and balances. The only color that yields good government is purple.

By the way, the last Republican governor of California was Arnold Schwarzenegger. He won a special election in 2003 and then went on to serve two terms before leaving office in 2011. But Schwarzenegger was an anomaly. These days, Republicans have pretty much disowned the action movie star who they've labeled a RINO (Republican-In-Name-Only) because they think him insufficiently conservative.

The last legit Republican to serve as governor was Pete Wilson, who served two terms from 1990 to 1998. By using racist language and inflammatory campaign commercials to gin up support for a notorious anti-immigrant ballot initiative, Wilson won reelection in 1994. But he also made his party unpalatable to Latinos, who now make up about 40% of the state's population. That cooked the elephant.

The California GOP never gets tired of talking about how much damage the Democratic Party allegedly did to the state during the 12 years that Democrats controlled the governor's office. If Republicans were more honest — I know, that's asking a lot — they would talk just as much as the strategic mistakes they made that kept Democrats in power all those years.

There, you've just heard more honesty from one Californian than you're getting from eight who are under the delusion that they can govern this state.

To find out more about Ruben Navarrette and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Gustavo Zambelli at Unsplash