Key Takeaways
- Eight candidates — two Republicans and six Democrats — faced off in a 90‑minute debate hosted by CBS News affiliates in Claremont, California.
- Xavier Becerra, former HHS secretary and California attorney general, entered the debate as the front‑runner but also drew the most attacks from rivals.
- Becerra used the healthcare discussion to criticize Steve Hilton’s alignment with Donald Trump, arguing only he has the experience to expand coverage.
- San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan positioned himself as a pragmatic moderate, challenging Becerra’s record on the pandemic, mpox, and border issues while rejecting a home‑insurance rate freeze.
- Former Rep. Katie Porter highlighted Tom Steyer’s fossil‑fuel investments, accusing him of profiting from the very industry he now seeks to hold accountable for climate damages.
- Steyer defended his climate agenda, pointing to PG&E’s opposition spending and framing himself as the only true change‑agent on stage.
- The debate underscored a fractured field, with candidates seeking to differentiate themselves after Eric Swalwell’s withdrawal and ahead of the CNN‑hosted debate on May 5.
- Issues of affordability — health‑care costs, gas taxes, insurance rates, and climate‑related expenses — dominated the candidates’ exchanges.
The debate, held a week before CNN’s scheduled gubernatorial showdown on May 5, featured eight hopefuls vying to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom. Former Health and Human Services secretary Xavier Becerra, who also served as California’s attorney general, arrived with noticeable momentum: recent polls showed him gaining ground, his fundraising had surged, and he had collected a slate of endorsements. That visibility, however, turned him into a primary target for both Republican and Democratic opponents, who launched fresh attacks — including a pair of attack ads funded by billionaire investor Tom Steyer.
Becerra opened the night by leaning on his federal and state experience, especially his role in shaping national health‑care policy. When the moderators turned to the looming expiration of the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium subsidies, Becerra seized the moment to contrast himself with Steve Hilton, the former Fox News host who has received Trump’s endorsement. “The first thing we have to do is stop Steve Hilton’s daddy,” Becerra declared, arguing that voters need a candidate who will confront Trump rather than accommodate him. Hilton fired back, claiming Democrats merely “blame Trump” and insisting that federal health‑care spending is actually rising this year. The exchange devolved into a rapid‑fire volley, with Becerra pressing Hilton on whether he would oppose Trump’s proposed cuts and Hilton sidestepping with a nuanced answer about overall funding levels.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who entered the race later than most contenders, styled himself as a common‑sense moderate. He criticized the state’s gas tax as regressive, arguing that rural and working‑class Californians bear a disproportionate burden to fund roads that wealthier EV owners benefit from. When Becerra proposed a freeze on home‑insurance rates, Mahan dismissed the idea as unworkable, saying, “Xavier’s plan won’t work.” On health‑care financing, Mahan told Hilton and Bianco that the Trump administration’s Medicaid cuts were “cruel,” while cautioning Steyer and Porter that a single‑payer system remains financially uncertain and has produced long wait times in other countries. He also renewed his attacks on Becerra’s pandemic response, monkeypox handling, and management of unaccompanied migrant children, quipping, “The secretary has never met a crisis that he couldn’t ignore.” Becerra retorted by questioning whether Mahan was even wearing a mask, insisting his administration had successfully navigated those challenges.
Former Rep. Katie Porter, seeking to rebound from a pair of viral videos that damaged her image, directed her sharpest critiques at Tom Steyer. After Steyer described his plan to let the state sue fossil‑fuel companies for climate‑related disasters, Porter highlighted his past investments in those same industries. “Let’s be clear, the oil companies have been polluting – and knowingly polluting – for 45 years,” Steyer said, linking those emissions to recent wildfires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades. Porter countered, “So fossil fuel companies who were causing great damage while you were investing in them?” She then turned the spotlight on Steyer’s campaign financing, noting that he pays the lowest tax rate on the stage while his billions derive from fossil fuels. Steyer defended himself by citing PG&E’s multi‑million‑dollar opposition effort, asserting that oil and gas companies resist him because he embodies the change they fear.
Throughout the night, the candidates also sparred over affordability more broadly. Becerra’s push for an insurance‑rate freeze met skepticism from Mahan, while Hilton argued that federal health‑care spending was already increasing. Steyer’s climate agenda drew both support and skepticism, with Porter insisting that “profiteers” must bear the cost of climate disasters and Bianco intermittently interjecting to challenge speakers. The debate illustrated a field still searching for a clear lane: Democrats emphasizing experience and progressive health‑care reforms, Republicans stressing fiscal restraint and law‑and‑order credentials, and a handful of moderates like Mahan attempting to carve out a centrist appeal.
With Eric Swalwell’s recent exit, the race remains unsettled, and Tuesday’s forum served as a crucial platform for each hopeful to distinguish themselves. As the candidates continue to trade barbs on health care, taxes, immigration, and climate policy, voters will watch closely to see who can translate debate momentum into electoral advantage ahead of the CNN debate and the ensuing primary showdown.