Candidates Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton faced off in their first one-on-one debate ahead of the November election for California governor.
The pair vied to win over the 47.4% of voters who supported their opponents in the primary during the debate, which aired on CNN.
Moderators opened the debate with a question about affordability in California, a topic both candidates emphasized during their campaigns. Becerra criticized Hilton's proposed tax cuts on the first $150,000 of income and the repeal of the state's gas tax.
"What he would do is damage our state even further, make it harder for working families," Becerra said. "He would make it tougher for folks like my parents, who came to this country with $12 and settled in California. They were able to build the California dream, but they had to work hard."
Hilton defended his proposal by saying, "the quickest way to get more money in people's pockets is for the government to take less out."
The candidates also touched on the state's housing crisis, with Hilton saying he would cap fees on new builds and proposed the incorporation of 10 new cities "with counties bidding to host the construction of the new communities."
"I think one of the problems is that we've had these top-down targets and they never get met," Hilton said. "I've got a completely new approach instead of Sacramento forcing this onto communities, I want communities to build the housing that meets their needs."
Becerra said he would try to raise California's housing supply by cutting red tape, expanding down payment assistance programs, protecting prospective homeowners from being outbid by investors, and enforcing laws that require local governments to build new homes.
The candidates also touched upon regulations for artificial intelligence companies, where Hilton criticized Becerra for taking money from tech companies.
"I have sued Meta. I have sued Amazon. I have sued Google. I have sued these very companies," Becerra said. "And I will continue to do so as governor."
He added that he would impose limits on data centers, vowing to work with local communities to enforce regulations.
"If all you're going to do is rob their energy and electricity and their water, that's not a good deal," Becerra said.
While discussing immigration, Hilton said he aims to "lower the temperature" surrounding the issue while also ensuring a secure border.
"We've got to make sure that people who are in this country illegally, who have committed dangerous crimes, should be removed, but that's not happening in California," he said.
Becerra's rebuttal focused on Hilton's history as an immigrant from the United Kingdom.
"California welcomed you into California, and you welcomed ICE mercenaries into our state in return," he said. "I have fought all my life to make life better for immigrants."
With California approving a new round of tax breaks for Hollywood, the pair agreed on supporting the film industry and making sure that production stays in Los Angeles.
"We've got to keep Hollywood in Hollywood," Becerra said. "We don't want it to be in Sydney, Australia. It shouldn't be Sydney Wood. It shouldn't be in Toronto, Canada, not Toronto. It needs to be Hollywood."
Hilton blamed Becerra and Democrats for the exodus of Hollywood productions.
"Democrats have been in charge for 16 years," he said. "As the jobs have gone, the industries have gone. And this city, this iconic industry, is on the brink of collapse."
Leading up to the debate, Becerra appeared to have captured a larger share. With a margin of error of two percentage points, the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies showed 58% of likely voters supporting the Democrat compared to the 33% backing Hilton in a recent poll.
In its most recent poll, the Public Policy Institute of California found that 60% of likely voters supported Becerra, compared to 38% for Hilton, with a margin of error of roughly three percentage points.
The former California attorney general and U.S. Health and Human Services secretary in the Biden administration finished the June primary as the frontrunner, with 28% of the vote.
Leading up to the primary, Becerra was lost in the mix of the handful of democratic candidates but rose in the polls once Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out after several women came forward with allegations of sexual assault and misconduct in April.
He positioned himself as an underdog who "never gave up" while addressing supporters in June.
"More than ever, California needs our voices and our values. To the people and the voters of California, this is your state. Este es tu estado (This is your state). We will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we are never backing down," he wrote on X after learning he would advance to the November election.
Becerra's campaign has focused on affordability, harping on stabilizing California gas prices and supply. He stressed that the state should maintain refinery capacity while continuing its transition to cleaner energy.
In addition to his tenures as state attorney general and HHS secretary, he's also touted his political experience as a congressman who represented Los Angeles for 24 years.
"The governor's office is not a place with training wheels," he said during April's CBS News Governor's Debate. "You need people who have experienced those challenges, have dealt with national crisis."
If Becerra wins, he will be California's first Latina governor since Romualdo Pacheco was elected to the office 150 years ago.
The former Fox News host and adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron led amongst Republican candidates leading up to the primary and finished with 24.6% of the vote in June.
Hilton released a video statement on social media thanking all California voters, regardless of who they supported in the race. Hilton's campaign has been centered around change, and he said voters "will now have the chance to vote for it."
"I want to thank every single one of you who voted for me, around 2 million of you. I want to thank everyone who didn't vote for me, and I want you to know that I'm running for governor to be of service to you to make sure that our government gets the basics right so that you could live your dreams," Hilton said.
Like his opponent, Hilton campaigned on affordability, coining the term "Califordable" and focusing on housing accessibility and lower costs for Californians.
He differed from Becerra by blaming state climate policies and regulations for high gas prices.
After election night in June, Hilton criticized the state's lengthy ballot-counting process and recently proposed a 48-hour deadline to count mail-in ballots during a news conference in San Mateo County.
If elected, Hilton would be California's first Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2011.
