Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., on Wednesday said he would not endorse a candidate in the gubernatorial race he declined to enter last year.
“To clarify, I have not endorsed in the race, especially after having considered it last summer, early fall,” Padilla said at Semafor World Economy in Washington, DC. “Let the people of California decide who their representatives are going to be.”
Padilla later pushed back on criticism that California takes too long to count its votes, calling it a “conspiracy theory” that officials were not acting in good faith.
“The raw number of ballots that need to be processed and counted is bigger than, with all due respect, states like Rhode Island and Connecticut,” Padilla said. “And of course, you want to make sure that the votes are counted and audited before you certify elections.”
“Now, are there things that maybe can shave a couple of days or the course of weeks to get it done in California?” Padilla added. “Yeah, maybe. But the priority has to be on getting it right, not getting it fast for getting it fast’s sake.”
Also on Wednesday, Padilla dismissed the Trump administration’s criticism of his state’s gas tax as an “attempt to deflect” the economic fallout from its war in Iran. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett earlier this month pointed the finger at state regulations for driving up prices at the pump, specifically calling on California to “look itself in the mirror.”