California Governor Debate: Top Candidates Clash

0:00California's governor race heated up with a big debate Wednesday night. The top six candidates went head-to-head on health care, housing, and the economy. Four Democrats took the stage, billionaire Tom Steyer, former health secretary Xavier Bacera, congresswoman Katie Porter, and San Jose Mayor Matt. Mahan. The two Republicans were Riverside's share of Chad Bianco and commentator Steve Hilton, who got a nod from former President Trump. This was the first televised face-off since early frontrunner Eric Swalwell bowed out two weeks ago over allegations. Eight candidates are still in the mix overall, but only these top six made the cut for the 90-minute event. Candidates threw punches right away on who has real experience to handle the state's crises. Steyer pushed his plan to tax other billionaires and challenge big energy companies. Republicans hammered Democrats for high spending and failures like the homelessness mess, while most Dems gave current governor Gavin Newsom passing. Grades on it, the sharpest clash came over race and policing.

1:03Bianco called out what he saw as overblown claims of racism, saying law enforcement should just focus on who broke the rules. Porter fired back hard, saying that dismisses real fears in black, brown, and immigrant communities. Ballots drop in mailboxes in under two weeks for the June 2nd primary. As no Democratic frontrunner locked in, those Republicans could snag the top two spots and shake up the whole race. That's the story for today. California News Today, Driven by AI, I'm Corey with The Story.