Overview
- Seven candidates sparred in a 90‑minute debate in San Francisco on Thursday hosted by CBS Bay Area and the San Francisco Examiner.
- Rivals zeroed in on Democrat Xavier Becerra after his former strategist Dana Williamson pleaded guilty earlier Thursday, even as prosecutors said no gubernatorial candidate was implicated.
- Candidates outlined contrasting cost‑of‑living and housing plans, including Becerra’s housing emergency proposal, Katie Porter’s push for tax relief and free childcare, and Tom Steyer’s call to tax billionaires to fund single‑payer healthcare.
- A rapid‑fire question on extraditing a California doctor over abortion pills split the field, with Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco saying yes and all five Democrats saying no.
- Ballot returns near 3% and polls showing Becerra, Hilton and Steyer bunched near the lead sustain the real possibility that two Republicans could advance under California’s top‑two system.