SAN FRANCISCO (KRON/NEXSTAR) — California’s six leading candidates for governor squared off on the debate stage Wednesday night at KRON4’s studio in San Francisco. The debate, which was broadcast across Nexstar stations statewide, was the first chance for voters to hear from the candidates following former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s tumultuous exit from the race.
Republicans Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco were joined on the Democratic side by former Rep. Katie Porter, billionaire activist Tom Steyer, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.
The 90-minute exchange moderated by Inside California Politics host Nikki Laurenzo and KTLA anchor Frank Buckley that was largely substantive and less contentious than it might have been. Candidates debated a wide range of issues impacting voters on the run up to the June 2 primary.
California gas tax
The debate began with candidates being asked to address California’s gas tax, which sees Californians paying a tax of about 61 cents per gallon — money that goes to pay for road repairs and public transportation.
Democrat Steyer took the first question, laying the blame for high gas prices on President Donald Trump and the Iran war which he said had “driven up the cost of gasoline for everyone in California.”
Chad Bianco, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, speaks during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco, California, US, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. California will hold its primary election on June 2, where the top two finishers advance to the general election in November regardless of party affiliation. Photographer: Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg
Republican Bianco countered by at the state’s current ruling party, saying that California has “the highest gas price in the country because of Democrat policies.”
Homelessness
On homelessness, candidates were asked to give current Gov. Gavin Newsom a letter grade on his handling of the issue.
Porter called herself a “notoriously tough grader” before giving Newsom a B. She said she would focus more on solving the root causes of homelessness, including the state’s housing affordability crisis.
Mahan at first declined to give a grade, but when pressed said he’d give Newsom a B for touting initiatives like Proposition 1, but a D for implementation.
Becerra gave Newsom an A for his effort but said it was important to keep a close eye on where funding to fight homelessness was going. The former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary has surged in the polls since Swalwell’s exit but, arguably, failed to build on that momentum with any kind of breakout moment.
Notably, Becerra was the only candidate not to make an appearance in the post-debate spin room.
Xavier Becerra, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for California, speaks during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco, California, US, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. California will hold its primary election on June 2, where the top two finishers advance to the general election in November regardless of party affiliation. Photographer: Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg
Bianco disagreed that homelessness is a housing issue and said it was instead a mental illness and drug use issue. “Every single bit of the money going to nonprofits and NGOs for homelessness ends the day I take over, and a small portion of that will go to the funding of the drug and alcohol centers that they need, the mental health centers that they need,” Bianco said.
Hilton gave Newsom an F and called homelessness a “shame” to the state.
Steyer gave the governor a B- and focused his answer on providing emergency and interim shelter to keep people off the streets and to prevent homelessness issues from spiraling.
Porter addresses viral video controversy
In a series of direct questions addressed to each candidate, Porter was grilled about a pair of viral moments in which she had an awkward confrontation with a reporter and was seen berating a member of her staff.
Porter said she apologized to the staffer on the day it happened four years ago, saying, “I took responsibility then and I’ve taken responsibility since.”
Katie Porter, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for California, during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco, California, US, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. California will hold its primary election on June 2, where the top two finishers advance to the general election in November regardless of party affiliation. Photographer: Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg
Becerra, meanwhile, was asked to address previous comments about rumors he’d heard about Swalwell, specifically allegations that he’d sexually abused younger staff members.
“You hear rumors all the time on all sorts of things. Rumors are not facts and the Democratic caucus is not a place that adjudicates those things. It’s law enforcement that does,” responded Becerra.
In another direct question, Bianco defended his recent seizure of 650,000 certified ballots as part of an investigation, calling it a “very, very basic, normal investigation.”
Mahan, whose campaign has been backed by donations from big tech, was asked how he would regulate the industry as governor.
“I know that these tools can be harnessed to do great good, to make government more efficient and more responsive,” he said. “But I also understand the risks — to privacy, misinformation and manipulation, job loss.”
Social media restrictions for minors
In another segment, candidates were asked whether they’d support a social media ban for people under 16. Hilton called for a “social norm,” saying that kids under 16 shouldn’t have smartphones, but stopped short of supporting a law that bans social media usage for kids and young teens.
Tom Steyer, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for California, speaks during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco, California, US, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. California will hold its primary election on June 2, where the top two finishers advance to the general election in November regardless of party affiliation. Photographer: Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg
Steyer said he has long supported such a ban, saying, “I think it’s been clear for a long time that young people have significant mental health issues as a result of social media,” adding that, “we have counted on the companies to police themselves. That has definitely failed.”
Porter, a parent, said she has one kid who uses social media in a healthy and moderate way, and another who needs a bit more reminding. She believed social media companies should be “held accountable,” but said she wouldn’t ban it for all kids under 16. She left the door open for supporting a “different ban.”
Mahan said he’d require parental consent for children under 16 to use social media and supported restrictions on smartphones in schools. He said banning social media outright for all kids could prevent them from accessing educational tools.
Matt Mahan, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for California, speaks during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco, California, US, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. California will hold its primary election on June 2, where the top two finishers advance to the general election in November regardless of party affiliation. Photographer: Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg
Becerra said he’d support a support a ban. Bianco said he’d oppose one, citing parents’ rights.
Looking ahead to the general
In California’s primary system, the top two candidates advance to the general, regardless of party. At one point, the moderators asked the candidates if they would endorse their party’s candidate in the general election if it was not them.
Steve Hilton, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, speaks during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco, California, US, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. California will hold its primary election on June 2, where the top two finishers advance to the general election in November regardless of party affiliation. Photographer: Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg
All four Democrats told the moderators they would endorse whichever Democrat advanced to the general. Hilton said he would endorse his fellow Republican Bianco, if he were the only one of them to advance.
Bianco, meanwhile, said he would not endorse his opponent, because he believed both would be on the November ballot.
California voters will head to the ballot box to vote in the primary on Tuesday, June 2.
For a list of sources used to formulate the debate questions, click here:
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