If Democrats play their cards wrong and Newsom is recalled without a leading Democrat on the ballot as an option, a high-name ID Republican could take the top job with a quarter of the vote in one of the nation’s bluest states.

“The only time I worry about a Republican [not] winning this seat is if one credible Democrat gets in,” said Anne Dunsmore, who runs one of the recall committees that are on the verge of qualifying the election.

One Democratic lawmaker said this week that California’s two-question approach needs an overhaul. “The crazy thing about our system is that many more people can vote to keep the incumbent in office than the person who ends up replacing the incumbent,” said Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica).