Leading candidates to square off in TV debate at critical point in California governor's race

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Six leading candidates for California governor will meet in a televised debate Wednesday — all of them eager for a breakout moment in a chaotic race with no clear leader.

With mail ballots scheduled to go to voters early next month in advance of the June 2 primary election, candidates are running short on time to break into contention. Under California election rules, only the top two vote-getters advance to the November election, regardless of party. Democrats have been fretting for months that a crowded field could result in two Republicans making it to November, a result that would be a historic calamity for Democrats in a famously left-leaning state.

The debate will bring together the two leading Republicans — conservative commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — and four Democrats, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter,billionaire Tom Steyer, former Biden administration health secretary Xavier Becerra and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.

With candidates angling for an advantage in front of a television audience, it is possible the debate could devolve into 90 minutes of shouting matches, finger-pointing and verbal backstabs as candidates compete for attention.

The campaign has just come through an unstable period, with U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell — one of the leading Democrats — leaving the race and then Congress following sexual assault allegations that he denies. Another Democrat, former state controller Betty Yee, dropped out Monday after lagging in polls since entering the race in 2024, then endorsed Steyer. Meanwhile, Becerra picked up the support of Democratic Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas.

Becerra and Mahan were late additions to the debate lineup, after Swalwell exited the race. Both candidates have been getting fresh attention — and endorsements — in the reordered contest.

Becerra picked up Rivas' endorsement on Tuesday. Mahan, meanwhile, has been rolling out advertising to lift his campaign.

Democrats mostly agree on policy issues, including the need to bring down household costs and counter President Donald Trump's agenda. So they will be looking for ways to stand out on stage, either by stressing their own records and trying to sully those of competitors.

Porter, who became a social media celebrity by brandishing a white board at congressional hearings while grilling CEOs, could become the state's first woman governor. Steyer, a hedge fund manager-turned-liberal activist who ran an unsuccessful campaign for president in 2020, is known for his involvement in climate issues. Becerra is the most experienced politician in the group, after serving in the Biden administration, and as state attorney general, a congressman and state legislator. Mahan has been arguing that he has made gains against homelessness and crime while leading Northern California's largest city.

Look for California to be at the center of the stage, too.

Democrats have dominated government in the nation's most populous state for years. Republicans haven't won a statewide election in two decades, so Hilton and Bianco will be pounding familiar campaign themes, including faulting Sacramento's one-sided politics for the state's troubles. Those themes also include pointing out that billions in spending has done little to slow the long-running homeless crisis; the state has some of the nation's highest taxes, utility bills and gas prices; heavy government regulation is driving away jobs; and soaring home prices are out of reach for many families.

The race remains wide open.

Polling in late March and early April by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found a cluster of candidates in close competition: Democrats Steyer and Porter, Republicans Hilton and Bianco, and Swalwell. Other candidates were trailing. The polling was conducted before Swalwell withdrew.