California's gubernatorial contenders struggled to land a decisive blow during a feisty debate Tuesday night, as the field recalibrates following former Rep. Eric Swalwell's sudden exit from the race. The 90-minute showdown at Pomona College featured sharp exchanges among Attorney General Xavier Becerra, billionaire Tom Steyer, former Rep. Katie Porter, and five other rivals, including Trump-endorsed Republican Steve Hilton.
Questions on affordability, housing, and the state's ongoing crises triggered a cascade of crosstalk and interruptions, with candidates frequently talking over moderators and each other. Becerra jabbed that Trump is “Hilton’s daddy,” while Porter likened the squabbling to “worse than my teenagers at dinner.” The atmosphere was a stark contrast to the more subdued debate held just a week earlier.
The high-energy clash came as Democrats scramble to consolidate support after Swalwell, once seen as a frontrunner, dropped his bid amid sexual misconduct allegations. The reshuffled race has left Becerra and Steyer as the leading Democratic contenders, both vying to capture Swalwell's former endorsements and voters. A CBS News/YouGov poll released Monday showed Steyer leading among Democrats with 15 percent, just behind Hilton's 16 percent, while Becerra and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco also registered in double digits.
Steyer has aggressively targeted Becerra in recent days, criticizing his acceptance of campaign contributions from Chevron and branding him a career politician. Becerra fired back, warning “we will not let billionaires buy their way into office.” The exchange echoed broader tensions over money in politics, an issue that also surfaced in a separate push for a California billionaire tax that recently qualified for the ballot.
Porter, seeking a breakout moment, interrupted Steyer during a discussion on oil companies and pollution, asking, “So they were causing great damage while you were investing in them?” She later stepped in to “summarize the squabbling for everybody,” a move that highlighted the chaotic tone of the evening. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan also sought the spotlight, jumping in when rivals complained about limited speaking time.
The debate saw several clashes with moderators. CBS News's Julie Watts threatened to “cut the mic” on Steyer after he protested her moving to another candidate. Becerra told Watts he would “be willing to go to court” with her after she challenged his plan for a state of emergency to freeze insurance rates. The exchanges marked a more animated performance for Becerra compared to the previous debate.
Cross-party attacks were among the night's sharpest. Hilton jabbed that Becerra “doesn’t understand how the government works,” to which Becerra retorted that California doesn't need “a talking head from Fox News.” Bianco, the leading Republican alongside Hilton, bashed Democratic leadership and complained about lack of airtime, saying, “I wasn’t sure I was even up here any more.”
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also participated after failing to meet polling thresholds for last week's debate. Their presence underscores Democratic worries about candidate viability in a crowded field. With ballots set to go out next week, the pressure is on for candidates to break through. As Pomona College student Ryan Kossarian put it after the debate, “Wow, that was a bit of a mess.”
The race remains fluid, and Democrats are anxious to avoid a scenario where two Republicans advance to the general election. The latest polling shows Hilton and Steyer leading, but with many voters still undecided, the next few weeks could shift the dynamics significantly.
