Opinion polls show no front-runner in California gubernatorial race
A new poll shows there is no front-runner in the California gubernatorial race, with several prominent candidates still in close quarters heading into the primary.
USC canceled the California gubernatorial debate after accusations that it intentionally excluded candidates of color overshadowed the debate for several days.
ABC/KABC-TV Los Angeles and the USC Dorn Seif Center for the Future of Politics were scheduled to host the debate on Tuesday, March 24th. But former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who is running for governor, accused USC of choosing to exclude all candidates of color from the debates.
In an emailed statement provided to the USA TODAY Network late Monday, March 23, USC said the university and KABC “were unable to reach an agreement on expanding the number of candidates for tomorrow’s debate.”
USC decided to cancel the debate as a result and said it would “look for other opportunities to educate voters about the candidates and issues.”
KABC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In early March, USC announced that the candidates invited to the debate were “based on independent and objective criteria developed by USC Professor Christian Gross and the USC Democracy and Fair Elections Laboratory at the request of the USC Dornsaif Center for the Future of Politics.”
However, SFGATE reported that Becerra asked KABC and Univision to explain why they did not oppose the debate standards. Becerra described the criteria in a post on X as an “arbitrary formula that favors wealthy candidates,” and SFGATE reported that Becerra also called the criteria “exclusive” and “voluntary” in a letter to USC. USC Dornsife released information about how it used “turnout” and “fundraising” as variables in its candidate viability formula.
“The University of Southern California vigorously defends the independence, objectivity, and integrity of USC Professor Christian Gross, whose data-based candidate viability formula is based on extensive research and receives extensive academic support,” the university said in a March 23 statement. “At the same time, we recognize that concerns about the selection criteria for tomorrow’s gubernatorial debate are a significant distraction from issues important to voters.”
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. please contact her pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
