There was no major gaffe, no knockout punch. In what was likely the last televised debate between candidates for California governor, seven of them largely hewed to the same themes they sounded throughout the spring.<\/p>\n
That didn\u2019t make it much easier for California voters trying to decide whom they want to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who cannot run again because of term limits.<\/p>\n
The vast majority of voters are still mulling over their choices. With 19 days remaining until the June 2 primary, only 3 percent of ballots have been returned in California, according to Political Data Intelligence, a firm that tracks election data.<\/p>\n
Over the course of 90 minutes at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco on Thursday, the candidates addressed several questions prompted by the concerns of California residents, on topics ranging from the high cost of living to climate change. At times they interrupted each other so much that the live audience tried to shush the interjecting candidates.<\/p>\n
The two Republicans on the debate stage, Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, often supported one another and blamed Democratic policies for California\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n
The Democrats were less united and took opportunities to attack Xavier Becerra, the former state attorney general and Biden administration cabinet member who is a Democratic front-runner. The other four Democrats were Katie Porter, a former congresswoman; Tom Steyer, a progressive former hedge fund manager; Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose, Calif.; and Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Here were five key moments from the debate.<\/p>\n
A corruption case involving Mr. Becerra\u2019s former aides took center stage.<\/p>\n
The debate fell on the same day that Mr. Becerra\u2019s former campaign strategist pleaded guilty in federal court<\/a> to three felonies in a corruption case that also involved his former chief of staff.<\/p>\n The morning court appearance provided fresh fodder for Mr. Becerra\u2019s opponents, who repeatedly tried to paint him as guilty by association.<\/p>\n \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be in this race,\u201d Mr. Hilton said. \u201cYou should be preparing your criminal defense.\u201d<\/p>\n Prosecutors have described Mr. Becerra as a victim of a scheme that his aides concocted to skim $225,000 from one of his campaign accounts. And Mr. Becerra repeatedly defended himself by pointing to a statement from the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office that said, \u201cNo candidate running for governor has been implicated in any charging document.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms. Porter said the statement did not exonerate Mr. Becerra. She said that it only referred to the three people in the case who had already been charged with crimes.<\/p>\n \u201cThat does not preclude an indictment from being issued against you,\u201d she said to Mr. Becerra.<\/p>\n When a moderator asked Mr. Becerra if he could guarantee he would not be distracted by the case as he campaigned for the state\u2019s top office, he replied, \u201cI can, because, as I said from day one, I was not involved in the wrongdoing. I had nothing to do with that.\u201d<\/p>\n After the debate, Mr. Steyer echoed Ms. Porter\u2019s remarks, telling reporters that he worried about the potential for political interference from President Trump if Mr. Becerra made it to the general election.<\/p>\n \u201cDo I think that they would pursue this case, if at all possible, in order to knock out a Democrat? That sounds a lot like the Department of Justice that I know in this administration,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m absolutely concerned about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Porter gave a fellow Democrat the whiteboard treatment.<\/p>\n As a congresswoman, Ms. Porter gained national attention for her deft use of a whiteboard to illustrate economic lessons as she grilled executives who came before her committee.<\/p>\n