ArcaMax

SAN DIEGO -- As spelled out by former President Thomas Jefferson in our republic, all men are created equal. All states, not so much.

Conservatives like to say that the Kremlin on the Coast is in decline. But to paraphrase Mark Twain -- a Missouri native who migrated to the Northern California gold country in the 1860's to launch a writing career that started with a "celebrated jumping frog" and wound up introducing Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn -- rumors of my home state's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Yet, it's no exaggeration to say that California has outsized importance, both to the United States and the rest of the world. Given that its residents contribute between $700 billion and $800 billion annually in federal taxes, California is a mega "donor state" that puts much more into the nation's coffers than it takes out.

While right-wingers are too proud to admit it, this big, beautiful blue state helps keep a lot of the puny red states in the black.

How ironic. Republicans whine about paying for other people's stuff. But they have their hand out when a check arrives in their mailbox as the result of a farm subsidy or COVID-19 relief or a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" handout for allies of President Donald Trump.

That's how rudderless the Republican Party is in the MAGA era. Nothing says "we hate socialism" like taking free money.

Back to California. This state is a beast. It's the nation's most populous state with 40 million residents. And it has an annual GDP of $4.25 trillion -- which gives it the world's fourth largest economy behind Germany, China and the United States.

Say what you like, haters. As Jed Clampett and the rest of The Beverly Hillbillies found out when they struck oil in the Ozarks, California is still the place you ought to be.

And this year's gubernatorial election on Nov. 3 is the race you ought to watch.

The matchup between Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, and Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former Health and Human Services Secretary, is a battle of sharp contrasts.

Becerra -- a Mexican American born and raised in Sacramento, Calif. in 1958 -- is a homegrown product with working-class roots. His mother, Maria Teresa Becerra, was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. His father, Manuel Guerrero Becerra, a day laborer and construction worker, was born in the United States but grew up in Tijuana, Mexico. Xavier graduated from Stanford University and Stanford Law School.

The candidate's wife is Dr. Carolina Reyes, a renowned obstetrician who specializes in at-risk pregnancies. She helps underprivileged women access health care. A graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School, Reyes practices at UC Davis Medical Center and chairs the board of the California Health Care Foundation, which increases access to health care.

Meanwhile, Hilton is an import from Great Britain who migrated to California in 2012 after serving as a strategic advisor to former Prime Minister David Cameron. An excellent communicator, he knows how to tell stories that inspire people to take action.

But his is not the typical immigrant story. When Hilton came to the United States, he probably traveled first class. Part of the reason is that, like Beccera -- and for that matter, myself -- he was smart enough to marry way up and out of his league.

Hilton's wife, Rachel Whetstone -- a prominent British public relations executive -- has earned tens of millions of dollars helping technology companies improve messaging. She ran communications strategy and public policy at Google, which is located not far from the couple's $20 million home in Silicon Valley. After subsequent stints at Uber, Netflix and Facebook, Whetstone now works for an AI startup.

As the lifelong politician and bureaucrat, Becerra wants this race to be about moderation and political experience, both of which he has and Hilton lacks. He also wants Californians to see a vote for him as a vote against Trump, given his campaign pledge to be a foil for a president who made harder the lives of Latinos - who make up 40% of the state's population.

As the communications strategist and storyteller, Hilton wants the race to be about change, which he can promise and his opponent won't go anywhere near. He spins a narrative about how Democrats -- who controlled the governor's mansion in California for 16 straight years, and 19 of the last 27 years -- allegedly destroyed a once great state.

Really? Look here, newbie. California is still great. It just needs better leaders. Finding one is what this race is really about. And yet, I'm not sure that either of these two candidates fits the profile.

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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.

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