San Francisco – As Californians voted in the most volatile governor’s race in recent history, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who was leading in the polls, once again took the most heat during a contentious debate among the top candidates for California governor.
Becerra’s rapid rise as the top Democrat in the race was greeted by a barrage of political attacks from rival Democrats and Republicans on the platform, particularly in connection with the guilty plea of his former campaign manager on federal corruption charges just hours before the showdown.
Then came allegations that he touted support for single-payer health care, and failed to stop health care and unemployment fraud while serving as California’s Attorney General.
“This is what happens when you have a lead in the polls and are ahead of everyone else. They all come to you,” Becerra said. “I get it. So they have to try to defeat you. This is a great strategy Trump uses. I didn’t expect it to come from a fellow Democrat.”
“With friends like that, who needs enemies?” Becerra said later.
The face-off came at a crucial moment before the June 2 primary. Republican voters appear to be rallying behind Hilton, who was endorsed by President Trump, while Becerra and billionaire hedge fund founder Tom Steyer are most favored by Democrats.
From left, Katie Porter, Chad Bianco, Antonio Villaraigosa and Xavier Becerra at Thursday’s debate.
(Godofredo A. Vasquez/Pool via Associated Press)
ready to catch
As ballots arrive in mailboxes, California voters are finally joining the race to lead the nation’s most populous state and the world’s fourth-largest economy. Thursday’s 90-minute CBS debate may be the candidates’ last opportunity to directly address large numbers of voters.
Until now, the scandal has drawn the most attention to the contest, as former U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin), once the favorite and nominal front-runner for power, dropped out in April amid allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.
Five Democrats – Becerra, Steyer, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Orange County Representative Katie Porter and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa – and two Republicans – Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former conservative commentator Steve Hilton – faced off over affordability, housing, public safety, climate, education and health care. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, a Democrat, failed to reach the polling threshold to qualify for the debate.
CBS News Bay Area reporter Ryan Yamamoto, CBS News Los Angeles reporter Tom Waits and San Francisco Examiner editor-in-chief Schuyler Hudak Prionas moderated the one-on-one conversation in front of about 200 people in the historic Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco’s Financial District with sweeping views of the city.
The grand Beaux-Arts venue was a contrast to the tense confrontation between the candidates, underscoring Becerra’s rapid rise among Democrats after Swalwell dropped out of the race. Even before the face-off, his Democratic rivals began focusing their attention on Becerra.
base under attack
The candidate faced a number of attacks in the wake of the adverse campaign this week, including a widely broadcast conversation with a KTLA reporter in which the Democratic nominee asked, “This is a profile piece, this is not a gotcha piece, right?”
Earlier Thursday, his former campaign manager Dana Williamson, who also spent time as Newsom’s chief of staff, pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges alleging that she and Becerra’s former top adviser were among those who illegally withdrew $225,000 from Becerra’s campaign accounts.
Although Becerra has not been accused of wrongdoing, criticism from his political rivals went unpunished during Thursday’s debate. He questioned his decision and said Becerra should have paid attention to where his money was going.
Hilton said Becerra should prepare his own criminal defense instead of running for governor. Porter warned that damaging evidence against Becerra could emerge later – if he finished as the top Democrat in the primary election, his campaign could be undermined and a Republican could be elected California’s next governor.
Becerra defended himself, pointing out that federal prosecutors never accused him of involvement and that no candidate for governor had been implicated in the scandal.
Democrats also portrayed Becerra as a leader who allowed fraud and mismanagement to flourish on his watch.
As state attorney general, “he wasn’t minding the shop,” Mahan said, pointing to fraudulent unemployment and hospice claims at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I mean, the Biden administration had to sideline him during COVID. That’s not good leadership.”
On the left, Matt Mahan is polling in the single digits and made one last attempt to make his mark during Thursday’s debate.
(Godofredo A. Vasquez/Godofredo A. Vasquez/Pool AP via AP)
Main focus on kitchen table issues, a serious concern among voters
Affordability was a major topic in the debate, which included an introductory video of a single mother struggling to fill her gas tank and buy groceries.
Steyer said he would reduce costs by taking on special interests and bringing about structural change and breaking up monopolies.
He said, “I’m someone who would tax billionaires like me and big corporations so we can make the change to pay for health care and good education.”
Mahan said the answer was to “put more money in people’s pockets by reducing costs” and that this would not happen under Steyer or Hilton.
Mahan said, “Tom Steyer’s structural changes sound like socialism to me. His plans would literally double the size of state government.” “It’s not going to increase affordability. Steve Hilton is promoting his Donald Trump support. You have tariffs and wars that are driving up costs.”
Hilton responded, saying: “I like the way Matt talks about how he’s going to bring costs down, when his city was recently ranked the most expensive in the world, with the least affordable for housing.”
Daylight among Republicans on climate change
The Republican candidates avoided attacking each other during the debate and instead exchanged compliments. But the two diverged when asked whether climate change was having real-world impacts.
Bianco said that California is destroying itself with its environmental policies.
“Certainly we can say temperatures are rising,” he said, but he also said he’s not so “naïve” to think humans can influence or control the climate, which has been changing since its inception, and that California needs to stop all environmental regulations that are “related to activists” and are destroying the state’s economy.
Tom Steyer talked Thursday about affordability, a hot-button issue: “I’m the guy who would tax billionaires like me.”
(Godofredo A. Vasquez/Pool via Associated Press)
Hilton said he believes in climate change but that California needs “common sense” rather than ideological responses to the issue. He said the desire for clean water and air is “definitely” right, but policies in California are not working – as made clear by the recent “megafires” in the state.
Democrats at the forum agreed closely on the need to respond to the climate crisis and ensure that environmental protections are not dismantled by the Trump administration.
Last attempt by struggling candidates
The candidates in the crowded field who have struggled to get ahead — centrist Democrat Mahan and Villaraigosa, who trails by single digits in the polls — made last-ditch efforts to make their mark during Thursday’s gathering.
In the opening moments of the debate Mahan went after almost every candidate on the stage.
“The change we need lies in accountability for results,” Mahan said. “This change is not what billionaire Tom Steyer is offering, higher taxes and big government. This change is not what Fox News head Steve Hilton is offering – fear, division and more Donald Trump. And let’s be honest, Xavier Becerra is not offering change; he is the embodiment of the status quo.”
Villaraigosa drew on his experiences in Los Angeles and in the state legislature to argue that he was the best qualified to lead the state, while criticizing the policies of his fellow Democrats.
“This is a state with huge challenges, the challenge of affordability, the challenge of health care, homelessness and dirty streets and streets full of crime,” Villaraigosa said. “The fact is, I’m the only candidate on this platform who, other than attacking Donald Trump, which I do, has challenged us, challenged this party, and said, ‘Wait, a lot of the problems we’re facing have come from Sacramento policies.’ We need someone who has the courage to stand up to Donald Trump, but who also has the courage to stand up to our friends when they are wrong. I have a record of doing that.”
Mehta reported from Los Angeles and Nixon from San Francisco.
