Takeaways from the California gubernatorial debate

[0:00] Thanks for being with us here on Live Now from Fox. I'm your host, Christina Evans. [0:05] We do want to continue on with our top stories that we have watching today. [0:09] And as we mentioned before, we went to that two-minute commercial break. [0:12] Our eyes are now out there in California. As we watched all of this unfold just yesterday, there was a highly anticipated debate. [0:21] And if you're registered to vote in California, you've likely gotten a ballot already in the mail for that June 2nd primary, [0:27] which means there isn't a lot of time left until the election. [0:31] And if you're like many Californians, you still might know at this point who you're going to choose in this governor's race. [0:38] And so the race, of course, we know was plunged into controversy this after former Representative Eric Swalwell had to drop out due to multiple sexual assault allegations. [0:49] And so we're continuing to keep our eyes on this conversation and how all of that unfolded. [0:53] We do want to continue to have that conversation now with Political's California Playbook author Dustin Gardner. [1:00] Dustin, thanks so much for being with us here on Live Now from Fox. [1:04] Hi, thanks for having me. [1:06] Well, there's a lot to unfold as we were watching those folks on the stage just yesterday. [1:10] I do want to put up some video as well so folks can get an idea of how all of this played out. [1:15] And so ultimately, let's talk about the fact that maybe one of the most watched candidates who made their way onto the stage was Javier Becerra. [1:24] He's the former California attorney general and Biden administration official who had surged through the polls after Eric Swalwell's exit. [1:31] I want to ask you here, what do we know about his time there and on the stage with him having this newly kind of spotlight on him in this gubernatorial race? [1:41] What did we learn from his remarks? [1:44] Well, in last night's debate, we really got the sense that Javier Becerra is now the frontrunner. [1:50] You know, there have been several debates after Swalwell got out of the race where, you know, it was unclear who would sort of emerge in the aftermath of Swalwell's implosion. [2:00] And now we've had several polls that show Javier Becerra at 20 percent or more in the polls. [2:05] And so I think his rivals in the race, all the Democrats, the Republicans as well, really see him as the frontrunner. [2:12] And he was the target of many attacks last night. [2:15] We'll make sure that we have that polling. [2:17] And yeah, so I think, yeah, they're seeing that polling. [2:21] He is now the target of most of the attacks. [2:23] And they're bringing up things like Javier Becerra's record when he was Health and Human Services Secretary in the Biden administration. [2:29] And when he was responsible for dealing with processing thousands of unaccompanied minors at the border. [2:36] And he faced some criticism for that because HHS lost track of what ultimately happened with some of those kids who were assigned to live with sponsors. [2:46] So that was something he was hit on quite a bit. [2:48] And his Democratic rivals really are questioning Becerra about his stance on health care, single payer health care. [2:54] You know, litmus tests for a lot of Democrats in a Democratic primary. [2:57] The other sort of more progressive candidates in the race, like Tom Steyer and Katie Porter, have been very vocal about their support for single payer health care. [3:06] But last night, Becerra really struggled to answer a yes or no question about whether he would want to implement a state run single payer health care system. [3:15] That was probably one of his toughest moments of the night. [3:17] And Becerra also faced attacks from Steyer over him taking money from oil companies. [3:23] Becerra received a $39,000 contribution from Chevron at the start of this race. [3:29] And Steyer, who's a billionaire and self-funding his campaign, hit Becerra about that pretty heavily early on in the debate. [3:37] All right. And so we even have that statement there from Becerra saying, I'm no billionaire. [3:41] I don't have a massive personal fortune to spend on this race, but I've got you and that's what matters most. [3:47] Could you chip in right now and help us to protect the California dream? [3:50] And so I do want to dive in a little bit more into Tom Steyer, as he also has some name recognition in this race, being that he is a billionaire. [3:58] He is self-funded. In fact, earlier this week, we carried one of his events here on Live Now from Fox. [4:03] But I want to ask you about sort of what the synopsis is from what Californians are seeing from Tom Steyer. [4:09] What are they asking for from him? [4:11] And what did we hear that stood out on the stage yesterday as how he's going to help the state if he is selected to be governor? [4:19] Well, Tom Steyer is really running hard as a progressive. [4:22] He's really trying to compete with Katie Porter for the lane of being the most progressive Democrat in this primary. [4:30] And his campaign's really been driven by by that pledge. [4:33] He's talking extensively about wanting to create a state run single payer health care system. [4:37] He's focused on things like fighting climate change, taxing billionaires. [4:42] He likes to say that I'm the billionaire that wants to tax other billionaires. [4:46] That that has been the line he's used to try to fed off opponents who have brought up his wealth and brought up the fact that he's put in more than 120 million dollars of his own money into this race. [4:56] So that that that has been his overarching message. [5:00] And I think Steyer is promising to be the more kind of disruptive candidate in Sacramento, the capital city of California, if he's elected. [5:10] Javier Becerra is much more in line in line with a lot of Gavin Newsom's allies, the interest groups and other powerful forces in Sacramento that drive a lot of California policy. [5:22] Whereas Steyer is, you know, he's a self-funded billionaire. [5:25] And I think his pitch to voters is really that he'll be more willing to shake up the status quo in Sacramento because he is using his own money. [5:34] He's not, you know, not not relying on donors to propel his campaign. [5:38] And Steyer has attracted a lot of endorsements from the more progressive side of the aisle in California, a lot of environmental groups, a lot of social justice, criminal justice reform groups. [5:49] Whereas Becerra has drawn a lot of labor support and also drawn a lot of support from Newsom's allies. [5:55] A lot of Gavin Newsom's allies have actually been supporting Becerra and some quite a few of them actually working on Becerra's campaign. [6:03] All right. And so that's some good context for those who aren't watching this race quite as closely. [6:09] But I want to also talk about the fact that no matter the party, it is important to note that those whoever is selected in that primary election, [6:17] the top two candidates will move on to November. [6:20] And that includes some of the Republicans who are also making a name for themselves as well. [6:25] Of course, there is the Trump back candidate, Steve Hilton, putting up some video on your screen as well for folks at home who might not be familiar with Steve Hilton. [6:33] But there's sort of some layers here that I want to dissect a bit. [6:37] We know that he's backed by President Trump. [6:39] California, though, is known to be a blue state. [6:43] What are his chances looking like in this election? [6:45] And is this at all impacted by the fact that there was that major change with Eric Swalwell having to exit when he was seen initially as the frontrunner? [6:55] Yeah. In recent polling, Steve Hilton is doing quite well. [6:59] And he's doing so well because he is consolidating a lot of the Republican base in California. [7:04] Even though California is a very blue state, you know, typically around 40 percent of the state is generally voting Republican in statewide elections. [7:11] And so I think the odds of Steve Hilton advancing from the state's top two June primary, this is an open primary where it's the top two candidates of either party can advance. [7:22] So it could be two Republicans, two Democrats or a Democrat and a Republican. [7:26] But it does look like based on that polling that Steve Hilton will be one of those two candidates. [7:30] And I think a lot of that is due to the fact that he has Trump's backing later in this race. [7:35] And there was another prominent Republican, Sheriff Chad Bianco, but his support in recent polls is trailed off a bit after Hilton picked up Trump's endorsement. [7:45] And Hilton really is making a pitch to voters and saying that if you want something different, if you want, if you're tired of the high cost of living, [7:53] if you're tired of some of the, you know, the entrenched problems that have bedeviled California for many years around homelessness or the housing shortage, [8:02] that it might be time for a Republican to shake things up. [8:05] And he, you know, he's embraces Trump. [8:09] He talks about Trump, but he's really not running primarily as a Trump candidate. [8:12] He's really running as a candidate that's focused on affordability and improving quality of life in California. [8:18] I think that's what he's trying to sell as the avenue for a Republican to get elected in this deep blue state, [8:24] a Republican who's really focused on good government and lowering costs. [8:28] And so as you're talking about some of those Republican candidates in the case, [8:32] I do want to put this up on the screen because you mentioned yet another one who was made some headlines as well. [8:38] I'm going to put this up. [8:39] We have it from our partners there at TMZ. [8:41] In this debate, Chad Bianco, you mentioned him. [8:44] He was the sheriff. [8:45] He said he was, quote unquote, proud of those Oathkeeper ties. [8:48] Of course, we could sit here and sort of dissect the actual words that he used on stage. [8:52] But that conversation around the Oathkeepers, which, of course, we know were linked to the January 6th attacks on the U.S. Capitol, [9:00] were brought up on stage. [9:01] What did we sort of learn from that back and forth conversation? [9:07] Yeah, so we've known for a while that Chad Bianco was once affiliated with the Oathkeepers. [9:12] You know, this is a very, some would say a far right group that had quite a few members that were tied to the attack [9:20] and the riot on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. [9:22] And Chad Bianco didn't really necessarily disown or distance himself from the group. [9:28] In fact, you know, he argued with Democrats who suggested that it was a disqualification for him to be affiliated with the Oathkeepers. [9:35] In that picture you're showing, you can see Bianco on the right and then Antonio Villaraigosa, [9:41] a Democrat, the former Los Angeles mayors on the left. [9:44] And he, you know, he, Villaraigosa really called out Bianco and said it was disqualifying [9:49] and called out that attack on the U.S. Capitol. [9:52] And Bianco, interestingly, defended the Oathkeepers. [9:56] But at the same time, when asked by one of the moderators in a follow-up question, [10:00] he said that he was no longer a part of the organization. [10:03] And he didn't expand or elaborate to say why he isn't part of the organization, [10:07] which left a lot of people scratching their heads. [10:09] But ultimately, I mean, Bianco has really fallen back in the pack. [10:13] And it seems like Steve Hilton is the, you know, slightly more moderate Republican in the race [10:19] that seems poised to advance from this June 2nd primary. [10:23] All right. [10:23] And so, again, June 2nd is the date that we're looking towards. [10:27] And so, Dustin, while I have you, I want to ask about some of those other candidates [10:30] who are still competing in this primary, who don't maybe have the name recognition. [10:35] And so, what are the chances that they still have an opportunity? [10:39] Of course, there is yet another debate this evening that we should be looking forward to. [10:43] Is there any chance that they still have at this point to try to move up, [10:46] move themselves up in the minds of Californians heading towards the primary? [10:52] Tonight is the last major statewide televised debate hosted by NBCLA. [10:56] And this will be the last chance for candidates to really try to make an impression, [11:00] to try to break through. [11:02] Steve Hilton has really locked down the lane as the top Republican, as I was saying. [11:07] On the Democratic side, Javier Becerra is the clear frontrunner. [11:10] But Tom Steyer is potentially maybe still within striking distance. [11:14] But beyond those top three, you know, there are some others that are not that far back [11:18] in recent polling. [11:19] You have Katie Porter, the former member of Congress, [11:22] known for her whiteboard takedowns of corporate CEOs when she was in congressional hearings. [11:29] And then you have Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose, [11:31] who's a very centrist Democrat, tech-aligned Democrat, got a lot of major tech donors, [11:38] you know, founders of companies like Google, major tech billionaires that are supporting Matt [11:43] Mahan. [11:44] Those two, Porter offering, you know, more progressive vision, populist sort of vision, [11:49] and Matt Mahan offering that sort of a centrist Democrat approach. [11:53] They could be alternatives if either Becerra or Steyer really stumble or have something fall [11:59] that comes out that causes them to fall in the coming weeks. [12:03] The person you're showing now, just a second ago, [12:06] was state superintendent of public instruction, Tony Thurman. [12:09] He's about one percent in the polls. [12:11] So there's some others that are further back that don't really have [12:14] much of a chance of making up the ground. [12:15] But Matt Mahan, the San Jose mayor, and Katie Porter are the two that could potentially [12:21] be within striking distance if something were to really shake up in this race. [12:27] But voters in California started getting their ballots days ago. [12:30] Most voters have them now. [12:31] And people are going to start voting over the coming weeks. [12:34] Most people hold on to it until about the last 10 days or so. [12:38] So the window is really starting to close for someone to break through [12:41] and give a challenge to Javier Becerra. [12:44] All right. [12:45] My last question for you is about, of course, the current governor, Gavin Newsom. [12:49] There are questions about where he will go after this, [12:51] whether or not he'll run in the next presidential election. [12:53] But quickly before we go, we know that he has not publicly endorsed anyone in this race. [12:58] Is there a reason for that? [13:00] Do you think that he's waiting for the June 2nd primary? [13:02] And do we know what direction he's likely to go in? [13:06] The governor has not said one way or another who he likes in this race. [13:11] He's been asked quite a few times, and he's really been hesitant to say it. [13:14] And I think part of that is because this has just been such an unpredictable, [13:18] unusual race for California governor. [13:21] When Gavin Newsom ran back in 2018, it was very clear by this point before the primary [13:28] that he was the frontrunner and the Democratic frontrunner and likely the next governor. [13:33] It just has not been like that recently. [13:35] You talked about the controversy with Eric Swalwell and his scandal. [13:40] That really shook up the field. [13:42] But there were multiple earlier things that changed the dynamics of this race. [13:47] You had people like Kamala Harris thinking about jumping in. [13:50] Alex Padilla, the senator from California, thought about getting in. [13:53] And that really froze the field until very late in this campaign. [13:56] And it's only recently that Javier Becerra has surged into the frontrunner status. [14:01] And so I think that has caused Newsom to hang back a little bit. [14:04] But it does seem like Newsom, if he were to make an endorsement, many of his allies have [14:09] been aligning around Javier Becerra, which tells me that that's someone that is probably [14:14] more in lockstep with Newsom. [14:16] And he's someone who is likely to continue a lot of Newsom's initiatives in Sacramento. [14:21] And they share a lot of kind of a similar approach and philosophy to governing, [14:25] where is a progressive, a more progressive candidate like Tom Steyer or Katie Porter might [14:30] really potentially challenge the status quo in Sacramento more than Becerra. [14:35] Well, it's still such an interesting race. [14:37] And we're going to see it all play out by June 2nd for that primary. [14:40] And so we certainly appreciate you, Dustin, for joining us here on Live Now from Fox to [14:44] break down the very latest from last night's debate. [14:46] Also looking ahead to tonight's. [14:48] Thanks so much.