California's scrambled race for governor reaches a critical moment Tuesday night when seven leading contenders square off on a CNN debate stage, with early voters already casting ballots in the state's wide-open primary.
The 6pm PT debate arrives at a pivotal juncture. The field has tightened dramatically since Eric Swalwell's abrupt withdrawal from the Democratic side, and Xavier Becerra, the former federal health secretary under President Biden, has vaulted into contention after months near the bottom of polls. The shift has calmed Democratic anxieties about the party's ability to block Republicans from reaching November under California's top-two primary system.
Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host and onetime British political operative, are locked at 18 percent in recent California Democratic Party polling. They're followed by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, billionaire Tom Steyer, ex-congresswoman Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The field has solidified as fewer voters remain undecided: that number dropped from 24 percent in March to 14 percent now, a sign campaigns are breaking through.
Becerra's unexpected surge has made him an immediate target. He faces pressure over his tenure as Biden's health secretary, particularly his handling of migrant children, and criticism from progressives who view his record as attorney general as insufficiently aggressive on Trump-era resistance. He arrives backed by labor icon Dolores Huerta, but the endorsement may not shield him from sharp questioning on his moderation.
Steyer is making a different pitch. The billionaire has framed himself as a wealthy outsider willing to challenge corporate power and rally the left behind his candidacy. That message rings hollow to some voters given his $130 million self-funded campaign has stalled in polls, and his past investments in coal and private prisons complicate his progressive branding.
The debate terrain is well-worn. A chaotic candidate forum last week featured constant interruptions and collisions over immigration enforcement, wildfire response, and the state's housing affordability crisis. Those same pressures dominate Tuesday's agenda: voters are anxious about homelessness, insurance shortages, and a looming state budget shortfall. With millions of mail-in ballots already in voters' hands, time for campaigns to reshape impressions is vanishing.
Author James Rodriguez: "Becerra's rise from afterthought to front-runner proves that California's primary can shift on a dime, but whether he can survive the stage as the obvious focal point remains the night's central drama."
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