Inside California Politics Gubernatorial Debate - April 22, 2026

Six candidates competing to lead the country’s most populous state faced off Wednesday night in a debate hosted by Nexstar. It’s a crowded field and a tight race that has been shaken up by the recent dropout of former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned from office and suspended his campaign this month as sexual assualt allegations surfaced. Following Swalwell’s resignation, Nexstar Media Group and Emerson College conducted a fresh poll to see which candidates would qualify for Wednesday’s debate. In the end, six made the cut: two Republicans – conservative commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco – and four Democrats, businessman and activist Tom Steyer, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Rep. Katie Porter and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. Full Coverage: https://ktla.com/news/politics/inside-california-politics/
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