SAN FRANCISCO— With the California gubernatorial race quickly approaching, six candidates clashed fiercely over wealth, experience and race Wednesday night in the first televised debate since former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.
Democrat Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund founder turned climate change activist, was frequently attacked for how he made his wealth, which he is using to finance his gubernatorial bid. Republican Steve Hilton, a former conservative commentator, was portrayed as a dilettante backed by President Trump. Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, was labeled a D.C. insider whose actions don't match his words.
“We don't need a billionaire who made his money in private prisons and oil and gas that he is now supposedly against, or Trump's hand-picked candidate, or a DC insider who is now the Sacramento establishment. [embracing]”said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.
Steyer, who has contributed $133 million to his own campaign, later said that while he may be the only billionaire on stage, he was not the only wealthy person or corporation trying to tilt the race, a clear reference to supporters of an independent expenditure committee that supports Mahan and is largely funded by Silicon Valley tech leaders.
“Billionaires and corporations are spending a lot in this race to oppose me and support other people in this scenario,” Steyer said, noting that oil companies took $5 million from him on Wednesday, which was Earth Day. “I'm the billionaire who wants to tax other billionaires. I'm the billionaire who takes on the electric monopolies and tries to divide their power. I'm the billionaire who wants to tax the oil companies and make the polluters pay.”
Gubernatorial candidates Chad Bianco, left, Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton arrive for a debate at the KRON studios in San Francisco on Wednesday. California will hold its primary elections on June 2, when the top two finishers advance to the November general election, regardless of party affiliation.
(Jason Henry / Pool Photo)
Becerra, in his first major appearance since emerging in the race, misspoke about the U.S. war against Iran and instead said Iraq. The veteran elected official has gained ground in the race since Swalwell retired and came under multiple attacks. He and former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, fellow Democrats, discussed their resumes during a discussion about housing affordability.
“Mr. Becerra, you have all these beautiful plans, but there are never any numbers, no revenue plan, no details, nothing that drives the status quo,” Porter said. “But the how, the why and the how much are missing.”
Becerra, a politician known for his mild-mannered demeanor, responded instantly, questioning Porter's experience.
“It's very empowering to hear from someone who has never had to run a government,” he said, adding that he balanced four federal Health and Human Services budgets that were “larger than the state budget of California.”
Gubernatorial candidates Tom Steyer, left, and Katie Porter, participate in Wednesday's debate.
(Jason Henry/Associated Press)
The debate took place at a critical moment in the turbulent race to replace ousted Gov. Gavin Newsom. Ballots will begin arriving in Californians' mailboxes in less than two weeks, and voters are divided by a crowded field of eight prominent candidates. The 90-minute debate, hosted by Nexstar and moderated by KTXL FOX40 host Nikki Laurenzo and KTLA host Frank Buckley, also took place after former state Controller Betty Yee ended her campaign due to a lack of resources and support in the polls.
Becerra, who was chairman of the Democratic Caucus when Swalwell was elected to Congress, was asked about his recent comments that many in the nation's capital had heard rumors about the Dublin Democrat's behavior and whether Becerra should have sought additional information about the allegations.
“You hear rumors all the time about all kinds of things. Rumors are not facts. And the caucus, the Democratic Caucus, is not a place that judges those things. It's law enforcement that does that,” Becerra said, pointing to his history prosecuting sex traffickers when he was California attorney general. “If someone had come forward, then we could start investigations.”
She added that she applauded the “brave” women who had come forward, which resulted in Swalwell being held accountable.
The meeting was the first televised debate in the gubernatorial race. since the beginning of February. last month, USC canceled a debate hours before it began due to growing criticism that its criteria excluded all major candidates of color.
Two Republicans, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and Hilton, and four Democrats, Steyer, Becerra, Porter and Mahan, appeared on stage at Nexstar's KRON4 studios in San Francisco. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and State Supt. Tony Thurmond of Public Instruction, both Democrats, were not invited to participate due to their low poll numbers.
Bianco and Hilton are leading in polls even though California is an overwhelmingly blue state, with registered Democratic voters outnumbering Republicans nearly 2 to 1. This has sparked anxiety among Democratic leaders that their party could be shut out due to California's unique primary system, where the top two vote-getters in the June 2 primary advance to the November general election regardless of party affiliation. Democratic voters are divided between their party's top six candidates, and the two candidates who dropped out will still appear on the ballot.
Although the two Republicans have become increasingly testy on the campaign trail, they avoided attacking each other during Wednesday's debate.
Two white candidates got into a dispute over racism and diversity when the candidates were asked whether California Highway Patrol officers allegedly administered English proficiency tests to truck drivers.
Officers who do it must have a good reason, Bianco said.
“Let's stop this whole thing about racism and racial profiling and this is all garbage,” he said. “We have to get over this. You either broke the law or you didn't.”
Porter seized on the comment, saying she was “surprised that Mr. Bianco would tell black and brown Californians and immigrants who are being terrorized and racially profiled that they have to overcome racism. It's not something you overcome, it's something you struggle with. And if you don't understand the importance of that, you have no business representing a state with the diversity of California.”
“That's not even close to what I said,” Bianco replied, adding that he works with people of all races in his job as a law enforcement official. “Californians are absolutely sick and tired of our politicians making race the basis of everything. It's not, and this racial divide that they're pushing between law enforcement and the public or between Democrats and Republicans absolutely has to end.”
Much of the sharpest criticism focused on Steyer over the hedge fund he founded that profits from investments in private prisons and fossil fuel companies.
In a discussion about affordable housing, Mahan said, “The only housing Tom Steyer has built has been private prisons and ICE detention centers.”
Steyer, who had previously said such investments were the reason he left the hedge fund in 2012, responded by highlighting a nonprofit bank he and his wife founded to help people who can't get loans from traditional banks and which has financed more than 17,000 low-income housing units.
“We have ensured that each loan is measured only by its impact on the community, whether in terms of economic growth or environmental sustainability,” Steyer said. “And we didn’t make a dime from it, and we never will.”
Dan Schnur, a longtime politics professor at USC, UC Berkeley and Pepperdine University, said the debate finally provided some clarity in the governor's race.
“Steyer or Porter would move the state to the left, Mahan to the center and Hilton or Bianco to the right. Becerra would keep things where they are,” Schnur said. “Becerra was the least impressive presence on stage, but he could have won the debate by assuring Sacramento that he is the candidate who won't change anything. The money and endorsements will follow.”
