The 2026 California Gubernatorial Primary Debate was held at Claremont’s Pomona College on April 28 at 5:30 p.m. in Mabel Shaw Bridges Music Auditorium, also known as “Big Bridges.” Pomona College Professor of Politics Sarah Sadhwani was one of the moderators of the event, alongside CBS journalists Julie Watts, Pat Harvey, Ryan Yamamoto and Tony Lopez.
The candidates in the debate were Chad Bianco, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, Tom Steyer, Xavier Becerra and Katie Porter. Bianco and Hilton represented the Republican Party, while Mahan, Thurmond, Villaraigosa, Becerra, Porter and Steyer represented the Democratic Party. To participate in the debate, candidates needed active campaigns and at least 1% support on the Emerson College and LA Times/UC Berkeley polls to be listed on the ballot.
The CBS/YouGov survey of the primary for California Governor, done between April 23 to April 27, found that 16% supported Hilton, 15% Tom Steyer, 13% Becerra, 10% Bianco, 9% Porter, 4% Villaraigosa, 4% Mahan, 1% Thurmond and 2% someone else. In contrast, 26% were undecided.
The discussions were on topics like affordability, housing, gas prices, insurance, education, homelessness and extreme weather events. When it came to the topic of affordability, candidates had various viewpoints. Hilton talked about legislation to lower gas prices to three dollars per gallon, and other goals emphasized policies relevant to young people and the housing crisis. Bainco stressed that his first steps to fixing the affordability crisis depended on how people would respond to him, while Mahan focused on “fixing” the gas tax. Becerra, in turn, said that the gas tax was good, as it helps raise money to keep good-quality transit. Candidates had equally diverse views when it came to insurance in California. Steyer and Porter both support a single-payer healthcare system. Mahan’s view is that instead of making insurance and healthcare more accessible, we should “make people healthy.” Following a pattern, candidates had many different ideas on how to fix the education system in California, as, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, less than half of California public school students are meeting state requirements. Mahan’s views focused on finding and hiring teachers earlier in their careers, with Steyer thinking similarly, stating that we should recruit more teachers.
“[It is] good to mix it up and good to have contrast […] it’s been lively,” said former pro tempore of the California Senate Kevin de León.
Benjamin Harris, a freshman at CHS, talked about his thoughts on the matter. “I’m really interested in the fact that it’s coming to Claremont and will be an active thing that people can participate in and view,” Harris said. “I think that would be a very interesting experience for a lot of people.”
The debate closed with a simple question: “Why should Californians trust you to lead the state?” Villagrosa stated that it was because he was going to be “transformational.” Thurmond said because of his experience, his housing plans and more. Mahan talked about how he achieved the American and Californian dream, so he could make sure other people could achieve it. Porter stated it was because she was the only one who did not have corporate sponsors, and Beccerra said it was because he had the most experience. Bianco stated that Democratic policies are flawed, and he was going to change that.
Pomona student Ryan Kossariaan, who asked the candidates a question during the debate, shared his impressions of the debate and the candidates. “California’s a mess,” Kossariaan said. “We need good people to step in […] the state’s going to collapse if we don’t fix it.”
