The WIRE #012 - California: A State of Emergency | 47 Days

🗳️ 47 DAYS UNTIL JUNE 2, 2026 — PRIMARY ELECTION DAY

Friends —

I want to tell you where we are, because you deserve the truth — not spin, not campaign speak, not a polished version of a complicated moment.

We are 47 days from June 2nd. We are still in this race. And the political landscape around us just shifted in ways that matter.

So let me break it down.

A Word From Dr. Ware

On April 4th, 58 years to the day after they killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Ware sat in a room at King Hall at Cal State LA with Senator Nina Turner, Dr. Melina Abdullah, Vic Mensa, Van Lathan, George "Conscious" Lee, and Chris Smalls — organizers and fighters who need no introduction to anyone serious about liberation.

He opened with a question Frantz Fanon posed to every generation that has ever had to reckon with empire:

What is the specific task that falls to us, and will we fulfill it or betray it?

That question is what brought him into this race. And it is what keeps him in it.

Here is what he wants you to know:

What Just Happened in This Race

You've probably heard by now — Eric Swalwell, who was leading in Democratic primary polling, suspended his campaign last Sunday following serious sexual misconduct and sexual assault allegations from four women, including a former congressional staffer. He has since resigned from Congress as well.

His name will still appear on the June 2 ballot. The deadline to remove it has passed.

I'm not going to dwell on the scandal itself. The survivors deserve to be believed and supported, and that story belongs to them.

What I will say is this: character is not optional. It never has been in the tradition we come from.

While the Democratic frontrunner's campaign collapsed in a matter of days, our candidate has been showing up — in Sacramento fighting for CalCare, on campuses building coalitions, in communities that have been told their voices don't count.

The field is wide open. The conversation has shifted. And the people who wrote us off are watching a campaign that is still standing, still organizing, and still speaking truth.

The message is simple:

That's our ask. That's the whole thing. Tell your people. Say it exactly like that.

What Day 1 Looks Like

In case anyone asks you why it matters who wins this race — here is what Dr. Ware will do on his first day as Governor:

He will declare California in a State of Emergency to immediately address the climate crisis bearing down on our state — wildfires, extreme heat, rising seas, and the economic devastation that follows every disaster our communities are left to absorb alone.

This isn't a bumper sticker. California Government Code §8625 gives the Governor that authority. Dr. Ware will use it on Day 1.

And it doesn't stop there. CalCare — single-payer healthcare for every Californian under AB 1900. Social housing — public wealth building homes for the people, not portfolios for developers. A California that works for the many, not a California that protects the few.

The crisis is real. The plan is real. The candidate is real.

Your Networks Are a Field Operation — Download the Empowerment App

Here is something I need every single one of you to do this week:

Go to empowerproject.us and download the Empowerment app.

This is a tool that maps your existing social media networks against registered voter rolls. That means you can see — right now — which people already in your network are registered voters who haven't heard from us yet.

That's your list. That's your outreach. You don't need to knock on strangers' doors. You start with your own community.

Dr. Ware is already signing up. We need you right behind him.

With 47 days to go, every connection matters. Every conversation counts. Your network is bigger than you think.

We're Coming to Your Neighborhood

Dr. Ware is on the road. Come out and bring people with you.

🗓️ Saturday, April 18 — Orange County Town Hall

A conversation on what it means to build a people-powered California, where public wealth serves communities instead of corporate interests. Joining Dr. Ware: Guy Christensen and Fernando Deveras.

(Event details — check our social media channels for location and time)

🗓️ Sunday, April 19 — Berkeley Campus Event

Plus: we are launching a new strategy at every tour stop — flash mob canvassing immediately after events. When the speech ends, we hit the streets. We only need one hour from you. Doors, neighbors, community.

More events are being added. Follow us and stay close.

What We're Watching

These videos are tools. Watch them, share them, use them in conversations:

Unity Uprising Panel — April 4th, King Hall

Unity Uprising Panel — Part 2

(17,649 views and climbing — keep sharing this)

And if you haven't watched The Higher Learning interview yet — that's your homework this week. 28,000+ views. It's a complete picture of who Dr. Ware is and why this race matters.

A Lesson Worth Carrying

Fannie Lou Hamer was beaten, jailed, and nearly killed for the right to register to vote in Mississippi in 1962. She went on to run for office, challenge the all-white Mississippi Democratic delegation at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, and refuse the back-seat compromise they tried to hand her.

She didn't refuse out of stubbornness. She refused because she understood the specific task of her generation — and it wasn't reform. It was building power sufficient to transform the system entirely.

Kwame Touré said it plainly: the difference between reform and transformation is who controls the institutions.

Dr. Ware is not in this race to send a message. He is in it to govern. To transform. To fulfill the task.

And every vote on June 2nd is a brick in that foundation.

The Team Is Growing

I want to take a moment to celebrate two people who have stepped up in a big way.

Crystal Tierney has been officially named our Director of Events — and if you've been to any event we've run recently, you already know her work. Crystal has been building and coordinating with precision and care since the jump. This title is long overdue. Congratulations, Crystal. 🎉

Raymond Wei has returned to the campaign as our Director of Communications. Ray brings creative depth and strategic vision, and we are thrilled to have him back in the fold. Welcome home, Ray.

This team is getting stronger every week.

47 Days. One Ask.

May 4th — ballots drop. That's May the 4th Be With You.

June 2nd — we vote.

Between now and then, there is only one message:

Tell your family. Tell your coworkers. Tell the person in line at the grocery store. Tell anyone who will listen that there is a candidate in this race who means what he says, who has never wavered, and who is still standing.

In solidarity and in service,

Angelica Ross

Deputy Campaign Manager & Interim Director of Communications

Butch Ware for Governor 2026

📬 [email protected]

📞 BWare Hotline: 1-888-583-WARE

Democracy Will Not Be Redacted.