Should Eric Swalwell drop out of the California gubernatorial race?

[Retrograde]

50. California election law says it's possible for the November election

to be between 2 Republicans. California uses what's called a jungle primary: all the candidates for an office appear on the primary ballot and the top two vote-getters go on to the general election in November. Any registered voter can vote in the primary. There are two Republican candidates who are currently polling ahead of the legion of Democratic candidates, making it highly likely that they will take the top two slots, especially if Swalwell loses support. So why can't the lower-polling Democrats drop out? Voting starts in early May and the deadlines for filing have long passed. Why can't the state legislature change this? Isn't this a stupid way to run the most populous state, I hear you say. Yes, it is. But it was passed as a voter initiative (under Schwarzenegger) which means by law it has to be changed by voter initiative. And that's why it smells to me of Republican dirty tricks: if Swalwell is really as horrible as the rumors say, why the delay in trying to sabotage him? Is it just coincidence that he was starting to look like a serious contender for 2nd place, now that the Riverside Co. sheriff (the other Republican with a chance) is busy shooting himself in the foot?

I do not know who is telling the truth, lying, misremembering, or trying to sabotage whom in this instance. Swalwell has been a vocal critic of Trump for a long time: Kash Patel was recently trying to use FBI resources to find dirt on Swalwell, and there were efforts during Trump's first term to link Swalwell with a supposed Chinese spy which went nowhere. The quickness with which the New York Feds have decided to prosecute seems fishy to me. OTOH, Pelosi believes there's something going on. So I don't know. OTOHOH, the GOP smear machine seems to be good at accusing people of what they themselves do.