Eight candidates for governor spent 90 minutes on stage Tuesday night at Pomona College in the california governors debate, the second of three scheduled meetings before the June 2 primary. Tony Thurmond used the forum to argue from his own background, while Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer delivered some of the sharpest exchanges.
Pomona College Stage
Thurmond, the only candidate currently holding a statewide office, leaned on his record as California state superintendent and on service as a former Richmond City Council member and Assembly member. In his closing statement, he told voters, “Elect someone with a lived experience.”
He also brought up his family story during the debate and repeatedly attacked Chad Bianco, including remarks tied to the Riverside County sheriff’s takeover of hundreds of thousands of ballots. Thurmond emerged as a standout in the event because he stayed disciplined while pressing that point.
Becerra And Hilton
Becerra moved the exchange toward Republican Steve Hilton early by calling President Trump “Hilton’s daddy.” Later, he told Hilton, “We don’t need a talking head for to tell us how the government works.”
Hilton was one of the candidates on stage with Katie Porter and Matt Mahan, and the exchange with Becerra gave the debate some of its most memorable lines. Those remarks also showed how quickly the forum shifted from set-piece answers to direct confrontation.
Steyer’s Closing Line
Tom Steyer used his closing statement to call himself the “change maker” and added, “if you want change, there is only one person on this stage they are afraid of.” His line gave him one of the clearest attempts to claim the night’s most aggressive closing argument.
The debate took place against a broader primary backdrop in which California has never elected a Black governor, and the race still carries the memory of 1982, when voters did not elect Tom Bradley even though polls showed him leading George Deukmejian until Election Day. The remaining two scheduled debates before June 2 give candidates one more chance to turn a crowded stage into sharper voter recognition.
For Thurmond, the task now is straightforward: convert a strong debate into attention outside the room. For the rest of the field, the night showed that memorable lines may matter as much as résumé details when voters are choosing among eight candidates so close to the primary.
