By Daniel Trotta
April 22 (Reuters) – Frontrunners in the race for California governor came under fire from trailing candidates in a televised debate on Wednesday, as former Fox News host Steve Hilton was called an inexperienced talking head and hedge fund billionaire Tom Steyer was faulted for profiting from private prisons.
On the issues, affordability dominated the discussion with each candidate quizzed on how they would approach California’s gasoline tax, elevated housing prices, and rising insurance premiums ahead of the June 2 primary.
The crowded race to succeed Gavin Newsom as governor held its first marquee moment since one-time frontrunner Eric Swalwell abruptly exited the contest, with four Democrats and two Republicans sharing the stage. Nexstar Media Group broadcast the debate in six of the state’s largest markets and nationally on NewsNation.
Former state attorney general and former Democratic cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra, who has surged in the polls recently, reminded California’s left-leaning electorate that Hilton, a Republican, was once a host on conservative Fox News.
“It’s interesting to watch someone who has served as a talking head on a Fox News program telling us how government should run when he never has run any government in his life,” Becerra said of Hilton, claiming that Hilton’s promises of tax cuts would severely curtail state revenue. “The math doesn’t work.”
The format asked candidates to respond to specific questions, discouraging too many swipes at their rivals, though Democrats took turns trying to dent Steyer’s lead in the polls.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan landed one of the night’s sharpest jabs at fellow Democrat Steyer, who has spent more than $100 million of his own money on the campaign.
“The only housing Tom Steyer’s built has been private prisons and ICE detention centers,” Mahan said, referring to the investment by Steyer’s hedge fund, Farallon Capital Management, in the stock of Corrections Corporation of America, now known as CoreCivic.
Despite his wealth, Steyer has staked out progressive positions and told co-host Nikki Laurenzo that his money eliminated any reliance on special interests.
“I’m the only billionaire on the ballot, Nikki, but I’m not the only billionaire in this race. The billionaires and corporations are spending big in this race to oppose me and to support the other people on this stage,” Steyer said.
HILTON LEADS POLL
In California’s “jungle primary,” the top two vote-winners on June 2 advance to the runoff in November, even if they are from the same party.
In the poll to qualify for the debate stage, Hilton, a Republican, led with 17%, followed by fellow Republican and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who tied for second with 14%.
Steyer led Democrats with 14%, followed by Becerra and former U.S. Representative Katie Porter, each with 10%. Mahan took in 5%, with 23% undecided.
Endorsed by President Donald Trump, Hilton promised to make California “Califordable” by seeking to bring gasoline down to $3 per gallon, nearly half the current average price in the state. He has proposed halving the state’s gasoline tax of 61 cents per gallon (16 cents per liter).
“We cannot keep going in this direction with Democrats constantly going for their insatiable appetite for more and more taxes, for their bottomless money pit,” Hilton said. “We need to cut spending and cut taxes so that we can give relief to families and businesses.”
Hilton and Bianco, the two Republicans, left each other alone and directed their criticism at the Democrats, who have a nearly twice the number of registered voters in the state. Bianco predicted he and Hilton would advance to the runoff in November, which polls have suggested is a possibility given the large field of well-known Democrats.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
