California’s Governor Candidates Clash in Testy CNN Debate – Here’s What You Missed

UnsilencedTruth.com | May 6, 2026

Last night, seven candidates vying to become California’s next governor faced off in a CNN debate at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park. With mail ballots already arriving in voters’ mailboxes and the June 2nd primary just weeks away, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

If you missed it, here’s what you need to know.

The Mood: Gloves Off

This was not a polite debate.

After previous debates that were relatively civil, last night’s CNN showdown turned combative — with candidates interrupting, name-calling and talking over each other. Xavier Becerra became the primary target, facing attacks from multiple candidates simultaneously. At one point a frustrated Porter declared: “I can’t believe that on a stage with 30 minutes of interrupting and bickering and name-calling and shouting and disrespect…”

The irony? She wasn’t exactly above the fray herself.

The Elephant in the Room: What Has California’s Democratic Leadership Actually Accomplished?

Every candidate on the Democratic side of the stage was asked to explain why California voters should give Democrats another four years in the governor’s mansion after four consecutive Democratic terms.

Their answers were revealing — and not in a good way.

California currently ties for the highest unemployment rate in the country, has the highest average gas prices in the nation at over $6 per gallon, and continues to struggle with a crushing cost of living crisis. Yet when asked what’s going right under Democratic leadership:

• Becerra blamed Trump and the war in Iran for rising gas prices
• Steyer said he would take on “special interests” to lower costs
• Porter said California “does need to make changes”
• Mahan said the state “deserves better”

Not one of them could point to a clear Democratic success story. That should concern every California voter regardless of party.

Candidate by Candidate — What Stood Out:

Steve Hilton (R)

Hilton leads the polls and has Trump’s endorsement, but last night he was careful to keep the president at arm’s length — perhaps recognizing how unpopular Trump is in deep-blue California. When Becerra jabbed “Donald Trump’s his daddy, and he will protect him all the way through,” Hilton responded coolly: “I don’t want to respond to silly name-calling.” He stayed largely above the Democratic infighting and focused on California’s cost of living crisis — a smart strategy for a Republican in a heavily Democratic state.

Chad Bianco (R)

Bianco faced pointed questions about his controversial decision to seize over 650,000 ballots — virtually the entire ballot universe — from a Riverside County special election. Here’s what the investigation actually revealed when the warrants were unsealed:

Bianco’s investigators had no tipsters, no witnesses and no forensic experts when they obtained their search warrants. Their entire case rested on claims from a local activist group that one independent elections expert compared to “flat earthers.” The county’s own elections official said their data was flawed and incomplete. California Attorney General Rob Bonta called it a “constitutional emergency” and ordered Bianco to stop. Bianco defied those orders and seized even more ballots. The California Supreme Court stepped in and halted the investigation entirely.

The result of this unprecedented seizure of 650,000 ballots? Bianco himself admitted his investigation has “not found any mass fraud.”

The discrepancy that started this entire constitutional crisis? 103 votes.

For a candidate running on law and order, defying the state Attorney General, being shut down by the California Supreme Court, and coming up completely empty after seizing hundreds of thousands of ballots raises serious questions about his judgment — and his fitness for the state’s highest office.

Katie Porter (D)

Porter had two notable moments. First, she pushed back hard on Steyer’s claim that he was the only candidate willing to take on corporate interests: “It is ridiculous for Mr. Steyer to claim that he’s the only candidate that has taken on corporations — there are a lot of CEOs who have been whiteboarded.” Second, she was asked about a video that surfaced showing her loudly berating a staffer. Her response: “I’m able to take responsibility.” She then pivoted, saying “If these boys bullying and bickering hasn’t been enough to raise questions about their temperament, I would really challenge that.” Porter is fighting for her political life in this race — current polling has her at 9%, well behind Hilton and Steyer.

Tom Steyer (D)

Steyer repeatedly positioned himself as the only candidate willing to fight special interests and corporations. Porter wasn’t having it. The billionaire who spent $133 million of his own money on this race — and whose fortune was built partly through investments in coal mining and private prisons now used as ICE detention centers — claiming to be the champion of the people is a contradiction we’ll be examining closely in our next post.

Xavier Becerra (D)

Becerra had the roughest night. He was attacked repeatedly over the federal corruption indictment of his former chief of staff, who allegedly stole campaign money. While Becerra himself has not been charged with any wrongdoing, both Hilton and Villaraigosa used the incident to question his judgment. Hilton went further, saying if elected he would push the state attorney general to investigate Becerra personally. Becerra’s defense: “If I had been involved, the U.S. attorney would have had me in that indictment. I was not involved.”

Antonio Villaraigosa (D)

The former LA Mayor acknowledged that California’s high-speed rail project has seen “incompetence, maybe fraud” but vowed to push it forward if elected. He also joined the pile-on against Becerra over the corruption scandal. Villaraigosa is polling in single digits despite being one of the most experienced candidates on the stage.

Matt Mahan (D)

Mahan had a memorable line about the high-speed rail debacle: “It shouldn’t cost us more to get to Modesto than it cost us to get to the moon.” He also revealed something important last night — he opposes the proposed one-time 5% tax on California billionaires, the same position as Newsom. Given that Mahan’s campaign is funded by Silicon Valley billionaires including Google co-founder Sergey Brin, that position is worth noting. We’ll be examining that connection closely in our next post.

The Story Nobody Is Talking About: Eric Swalwell

Before we close, there’s an important update from the race that didn’t get enough attention last night.

Former Congressman Eric Swalwell — who was once a leading candidate in this race — withdrew and resigned from Congress entirely after sexual assault allegations surfaced against him. This is a significant development that reshuffled the Democratic field and may explain why Becerra has surged in recent polling as Swalwell’s former supporters look for a new candidate.

Where the Race Stands Now

The most current polling shows:

• Steve Hilton (R) — 20%
• Tom Steyer (D) — 18%
• Chad Bianco (R) — 13%
• Xavier Becerra (D) — 10-13%
• Katie Porter (D) — 9%
• Matt Mahan (D) — 6%

The critical number: Up to 26% of voters are still undecided. This race is completely wide open — and your vote in the June 2nd primary matters enormously.

Mail ballots are already arriving in California mailboxes right now. If you haven’t decided how you’re voting, the time to pay attention is today.

Our UnsilencedTruth Take

Last night’s debate revealed something important: after eight years of single-party Democratic rule, not one Democratic candidate on that stage could clearly articulate what California has gotten right. Instead they pointed fingers at Trump, at each other, and at federal policies.

Meanwhile the Republicans stayed relatively above the fray — a smart tactical move that could pay off on June 2nd if Democrats continue to split their vote six ways.

The two things that jumped out at us:

First — the Bianco ballot seizure. A law enforcement officer who defied the state Attorney General, was shut down by the California Supreme Court, and admitted he found no mass fraud after seizing 650,000 ballots — all over a 103 vote discrepancy. And now he’s telling reporters that law enforcement officials across the country are calling him, interested in doing the same thing in their states. That should concern every American regardless of party.

Second — Mahan opposing the billionaire tax while being funded by billionaires. That’s not a coincidence. That’s a conflict of interest. And we’ll be showing you exactly how deep that rabbit hole goes in our next post.

Coming Next: Follow the Money

The debate gave us talking points. The money trail gives us the truth.

Who is really funding this race — and what do they expect in return?

The answers will shock you. Coming soon to UnsilencedTruth.com.

— UnsilencedTruth.com