Six California Governor Candidates Debate in San Francisco

Six leading candidates for California governor are set to face off in a televised debate on Wednesday evening in San Francisco, seeking to gain momentum in a wide-open race as the June 2 primary approaches. The event, airing at 7 p.m. on KRON4, features two Republicans and four Democrats vying for attention with mail-in ballots due to be sent to voters in early May.

The debate comes at a pivotal moment under California's top-two primary system, where only the top two finishers advance to the November general election, regardless of party affiliation. In a state with a strong Democratic majority, party leaders have expressed concerns that the fragmented field could allow two Republicans to proceed, an outcome unseen in decades. Recent polling by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California from late March and early April showed a tight contest among several contenders, including Democrats Tom Steyer and Katie Porter, Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, and former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, who has since withdrawn.

The lineup includes Republican Steve Hilton, a conservative commentator and recent endorsee of President Donald Trump, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad...