From fresnobee.com:

Valley Democrat Dean Florez said he will drop out of the lieutenant governor’s race today and endorse San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who is expected to declare his candidacy.

“I’ve studied the numbers, looked at the possibilities and considered all the relevant polling information which indicates that [Newsom] commands a formidable lead that would be hard to surmount,” Florez says in a letter he plans to send to supporters today.

Newsom, who abandoned a bid for governor late last year, will battle Los Angeles City Council Member Janice Hahn, the sister of former L.A. Mayor James Hahn, for the Democratic nomination. Both candidates have higher name identification and come from more populated areas than Florez, a state senator from Shafter.

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