With less than a month until Election Day, seven of the leading candidates for California governor took to the stage in what will be the first of two debates on back-to-back nights as they try to sway the remaining undecided voters.
“They’re not sold on these candidates,” Sonoma State Political Science Professor David McCuan said. “And they’re trying to figure out, even if they disagree with them who has the right fit in terms of thinking or how they process information.”
While McCuan said that Tuesday night’s debate might not have resolved the undecided question for many voters, it could come soon as attack ads ramp up and they start to spill on stage at future debates.
The debate stage was made up of five Democrats — former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer, former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa — and two Republicans: former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Here are the key takeaways:
The billionaire’s tax continues to be a divisive issue
Voters will likely cast a ballot in November on a one-time tax on the state’s billionaire’s that’s being backed by a healthcare union, but Democrats are sharply divided over the initiative. That split was laid bare on Tuesday night.
Porter said it was “simply not good tax policy”
“It’s a one-time tax, but we don’t have one time revenue needs,” she said. “It taxes billionaires as if half billionaires don’t have two nickels to rub together and couldn’t chip in a little bit more.”
Villaraigosa agreed and said that it’s “flawed,” raising concerns about people leaving the state over the tax.
Steyer, a billionaire himself, said that he would vote for the tax, but that it “doesn’t go far enough.”
McCuan said that Steyer’s support of the billionaire’s tax establishes his “progressive bonafides” as he stakes “out a place that’s a narrow segment of a Democratic electorate.”
Porter responded to concerns about her temperament
Porter in recent months has seemingly stalled in the polls after videos emerged of her berating a staff member and threatening to walk out of an interview with a TV journalist.
As quarreling between the candidates ensued, McCuan said that Porter tried to “distinguish herself by talking a lot about being able to be of the right temperament.”
“She tried to present a broader cause, that she has the ability to demonstrate thoughtfulness, to be learned and educated about the issues,” he said. “She’s the only woman remaining, and she was able to use that temperament issue in terms of a broader contrast against others.”
In her pitch, Porter said she was able to “take responsibility,” follow the rules and apologize.
“Californians can decide for themselves about my temperament based on what they’ve seen here tonight,” she said. “If these bullies, these boys bullying and bickering hasn’t been enough to raise questions about their temperament I would really challenge that.”
Republicans avoid attacking each other
Hilton and Bianco continued to attack Democrats on Tuesday night, accusing them of mismanaging the state on a host of issues. But when Bianco was asked about past negative comments he made about Hilton, the Riverside County sheriff demurred.
“Have Steve and I disagreed? Absolutely we have,” Bianco said. “We’ve had our quite big battles and disagreements in this election because he’s running his campaign, I’m running mine. We’re different.”
Hilton followed up calling the election a “very serious moment for California” of whether they want “another four years of one party rule.”
“The only way to get the change we need is to not vote the same way and think you’re going to get a different result,” he said.