California’s gubernatorial hopefuls faced off Tuesday night in a two-hour debate broadcast nationally on CNN, with mail ballots already reaching voters ahead of the June 2 primary. The seven candidates, vying to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, launched into sharp exchanges over the state’s soaring cost of living and the heavy shadow of former President Donald Trump.
The average price of gasoline in California was more than $6 per gallon, according to AAA. Former state Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, argued that Trump and the war in Iran are to blame for rapidly rising prices at the pump. Republicans Steve Hilton, a conservative commentator, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco pointed to the state’s long-standing higher gas taxes and regulations. When Hilton claimed he could slash prices to $3 per gallon, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan retorted, “You’re lying to people.”
Democrats repeatedly attacked Trump, who is widely unpopular in California outside his conservative base. Becerra called Trump “the real menace that we have in California,” and former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter bluntly stated, “Donald Trump sucks.” Hilton, who has Trump’s endorsement, countered that the Trump administration is not responsible for the state’s high cost of living, noting that other states with the same president have lower costs.
On taxes, billionaire Tom Steyer said he supports a likely November ballot measure raising taxes on billionaires and indicated he would seek other tax increases. Porter said the measure was too narrow. Mahan, who wants to suspend the state’s gas tax, contended that fellow Democrats had focused too much on expanding government rather than making it work better. Hilton pledged to exempt the first $100,000 of income from state taxes.
Candidates also sought to exploit rivals’ vulnerabilities. Becerra was questioned about a federal indictment of his former chief of staff and others, including a onetime aide to Newsom, who are accused of stealing campaign funds to pad the chief of staff’s salary when Becerra served as U.S. health secretary. Becerra has not been charged, and he said, “If I had been involved, the U.S. attorney would have had me in that indictment. I was not involved.” Still, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Hilton suggested he might bear responsibility, and Hilton said he would ask the state attorney general to investigate.
Bianco faced scrutiny over his decision to seize more than half a million ballots in Riverside County to investigate election fraud claims that local officials have called unfounded. The state Supreme Court halted his investigation. Porter was asked about a recent ad in which she jokes about a video that showed her berating a staffer, and said it demonstrated her willingness to take responsibility.
Hilton refused to answer when pressed about whether Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.
Under California’s election system, all candidates appear on a single primary ballot regardless of party, and the top two finishers advance to November. Democrats, who outnumber Republicans by roughly a 2-to-1 ratio, have raised concerns that their crowded field of five major candidates could split the vote and allow two Republicans to advance, a scenario that would be a historic blow to the party in a state that has not elected a Republican statewide in two decades.