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And so, routinely, when Democratic officeholders say that their agitated constituents should leave them alone and “call the Republicans,” it amounts to a brushoff that can be translated from politician-talk as “Stop bugging us already.”

The current officeholder, Rob Bonta, appeared well positioned for a 2026 bid for California governor, until he took himself out of the running and announced he would instead seek reelection.

"It’s partially payback for services rendered, and it's also a demonstration to current officeholders that the money is there for you too if you vote our way," Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, told Salon.

While there is no constitutional requirement to swear an oath by religious or secular text, to do so has become customary for nearly all U.S. officeholders.

"Democratic officeholders are much likelier to do what voters want than Republican officeholders," he writes, noting that GOP-controlled state governments "routinely ignore voter preferences" but Democratic majorities "work much harder to do what voters want."