(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) California gubernatorial candidates will not get to debate after the lineup was deemed “too white” to proceed.
The candidates, seeking to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, were set to debate at the University of Southern California on Tuesday. Backlash over the perceived lack of diversity prompted the event to be canceled on Monday.
The debate was initially set to include top polling candidates: Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco and Democrats Tom Steyer, former Rep. Katie Porter and embattled Rep. Eric Swalwell.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan was also invited, despite relatively low polling but buoyed by millions raised from Silicon Valley, according to the leftist New York Times.
Left-wing critics noted that all the invited candidates were white, prompting backlash and questions over why lower-polling minority candidates were excluded while Mahan was included.
Those excluded include Hispanic, Asian and black candidates such as former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former HHS Secretary and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, former California Controller Betty Yee and California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
In response, Becerra celebrated the decision in a statement on X: “We fought. We won! We stood up against an unfair candidate debate set-up that prematurely chose winners and losers.”
We fought. We won! We stood up against an unfair candidate debate set-up that prematurely chose winners and losers. Tonight USC made the right decision to cancel their March 24 gubernatorial forum…so hopefully next time it’s done right.
Thank you to everyone who stood up,… https://t.co/8drdYNM1Sb
— Xavier Becerra (@XavierBecerra) March 24, 2026
Villaraigosa also backed the move, saying USC “made the right call, even if it came late and under pressure.”
He added that the debate criteria “penalized candidates for entering the race early while rewarding a late entrant with documented ties to USC’s donor network. That approach couldn’t survive public examination.”
USC made the right call, even if it came late and under pressure. The formula they used penalized candidates for entering the race early while rewarding a late entrant with documented ties to USC’s donor network. That approach couldn’t survive public examination. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/NyZQMgneKz
— Antonio Villaraigosa (@AVillaraigosa) March 24, 2026
