CLAREMONT (CNS) – Seven major candidates for California governor will meet on stage Tuesday at Pomona College for a televised debate expected to reach voters statewide ahead of the primary election.
The 90-minute debate was set to begin at 5:30 p.m. at Bridges Auditorium, 450 N. College Way. The event will be broadcast across CBS-owned stations throughout California and streamed on CBS News platforms, giving voters access to the candidates in multiple media markets.
Republican candidates are Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and businessman Steve Hilton.
Democratic candidates are former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary and ex-California attorney general Xavier Becerra, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, investor Tom Steyer, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former Assemblyman and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Organizers said former Rep. Katie Porter did not accept an invitation to participate, while former California State Controller Betty Yee, who had been considered a favorite among Democratic Party insiders, dropped out of the race last week, citing lagging poll numbers and limited time before the primary.
A day after ending her campaign, Yee announced she was endorsing Steyer.
“I support you because you have such bold ideas that I know you’re going to be able to deliver,” Yee said in a video posted to Steyer’s campaign.
She pointed to Steyer’s work on environmental issues and civic engagement among young voters.
Yee’s departure follows the recent exit of former Rep. Eric Swalwell from the governor’s race after sexual assault allegations surfaced.
Organizers of Tuesday’s debate said candidates were invited based on ballot status and at least 1% support in both Emerson College and Los Angeles Times/UC Berkeley polls, with the selection process conducted by the Asian Pacific American Public Affairs Association in partnership with CBS and Pomona College.
“Pomona College is honored to host the most inclusive debate in this year’s cycle thus far,” Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr said in a statement. “Civic engagement and dialogue across differences are necessary for a thriving democracy — and core to the liberal arts tradition here at Pomona College.”
Candidates will deliver opening statements, take part in moderated discussions on issues including the economy, public safety, housing and immigration, and conclude with closing remarks, organizers said.
The debate will air live on CBS-owned stations in Los Angeles (KCBS, KCAL), the Bay Area, Sacramento and affiliates in San Diego, Bakersfield and Palm Springs.
“This debate extends far beyond a single stage, reaching communities across California with direct access to the candidates and their ideas,” said Scott Warren, regional president and general manager for CBS Bay Area and CBS Sacramento.
Organizers said the debate will be moderated by CBS journalists along with Pomona College politics professor Sara Sadhwani.
“By partnering with CBS Television Stations and Pomona College, we are creating a meaningful, nonpartisan platform that elevates dialogue, informs voters and helps strengthen the next generation of civic leadership,” said Sonny Mehrtash, national president of Asian Pacific American Public Affairs.
The Pomona debate follows a contentious televised forum held last week in San Francisco, where candidates engaged in some of the sharpest exchanges of the campaign so far as the race enters a critical stretch.
Much of the criticism centered on Steyer, who faced repeated attacks over his wealth and how he built his fortune, including investments tied to fossil fuels and private prisons.
Mahan drew a contrast with both Steyer and establishment figures, saying, “We don’t need a billionaire who made his money in private prisons and oil and gas that he’s now supposedly against, or Trump’s handpicked candidate, or a D.C. insider who the Sacramento establishment is now embracing.”
Steyer pushed back, defending his record and wealth.
“I’m the billionaire who wants to tax other billionaires,” Steyer said. “I’m taking on electric monopolies and pushing to make polluters pay.”
Divisions also emerged between Becerra and Porter during a pointed exchange over governing experience and policy detail. Porter criticized Becerra’s proposals as lacking specifics, saying key questions about cost and implementation remained unanswered.
Becerra responded by questioning Porter’s experience, saying it was “very rich” criticism coming from someone who has not run a government and pointing to his oversight of large federal budgets.
The debate also touched on issues of race and public safety, with Bianco rejecting claims of systemic bias in policing and saying, “Let’s stop with this whole racism thing.”
Porter sharply criticized Bianco’s remarks, saying she was “stunned” he would suggest communities facing racial profiling should simply move past racism.
“It’s not something that you get over, it’s something that you fight,” Porter said, adding that such views are out of step with a state as diverse as California.
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