Rivals for California governor to meet in only scheduled debate as mail ballots go to voters

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The candidates for California governor will meet face to face Tuesday in the only scheduled debate of the campaign, giving Republican Steve Hilton perhaps his best chance of gaining ground on Democrat Xavier Becerra.

The hourlong matchup on CNN comes just days before mail ballots are expected to begin arriving at homes in advance of the Nov. 3 general election. Looking to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, Hilton is appealing to voters who he says are desperate for change in a state known for its punishing cost of living, high taxes and long-running homeless crisis.

Becerra is promising to bring down household costs, too, while continuing to push back against President Donald Trump’s agenda.

A September poll conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Governmental Studies found that Becerra had a sizable lead over Hilton. A Republican has not won a statewide election in heavily Democratic California since 2006.

Hilton has Trump's endorsement, but that could be a liability at a time when the president's popularity has been sliding while voters grouse over climbing gas and grocery prices. Trump has had a long-strained relationship with left-leaning California, where he was trounced in his three runs for the White House.

The two rivals emerged from a chaotic primary that saw former Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell exit the race — then announce he would leave Congress — following allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman twice, including when she worked for him, while billionaire Tom Steyer ran the most expensive political advertising campaign in the country in a losing effort to win the Democratic nomination.

Hilton has vowed to bring down the price of gasoline to $3 a gallon, about half the current cost, cut residents’ utility bills in half, now among the nation’s highest, and eliminate state income taxes on the first $150,000 in earnings.

Becerra has been leaning into his long resume in government as he maneuvers to take charge of the state. He spent more than 35 years in state and federal office, including leadership roles in the U.S. House, as California’s attorney general, and as former President Joe Biden’s health secretary. “The governor’s office is not a place with training wheels,” he likes to say.