Becerra, Hilton to meet in first 1-on-1 debate in California governor's race

Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton will face off Wednesday night in their first one-on-one televised debate in the 2026 California governor's race.

The CNN-hosted debate comes as the two candidates compete to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and just days before county election offices are set to begin mailing ballots to registered voters.

Becerra, a former California attorney general and U.S. Health and Human Services secretary in the Biden administration, and Hilton, a former Fox News host and adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, emerged from California's June top-two primary to advance to the November general election.

Becerra has been leading in the polls, while Hilton is seeking to become the first Republican-elected California governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Both candidates have made affordability and California's high cost of living central themes of their campaigns.

Hilton has campaigned on what he calls making California "Califordable," with proposals focused on lowering costs and making housing more accessible. Hilton has blamed California's climate policies and regulations for the state's high gas prices.

Becerra has also focused on affordability while arguing that the state needs to maintain its environmental standards. Becerra previously told CBS California that the state should maintain refinery capacity while continuing its transition to cleaner energy, emphasizing the need to stabilize the state's gasoline supply and prices.

Political strategists say they believe one of the challenges facing the two campaigns is voter engagement.

"I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of Californians aren't sure who's running," Republican strategist Rob Stutzman said. "They can't remember what happened in the primary. What that means is potentially we start looking at low engagement."

Democratic strategist Roger Salazar said Hilton's experience in television could make the debate particularly notable.

"It'll be interesting for me to see sort of how he goes toe-to-toe with somebody who is as media savvy as Steve Hilton," Salazar said. "This is a guy who's had his own talk show. He's got the chops for it in terms of the presentation."

Becerra's campaign has faced questions about his visibility with voters, while Salazar said the Democrat has an opportunity to use the debate to talk more directly about his plans.

"A little bit more conversation with voters, a little bit more of telegraphing what your plans are going to be. I also think that Xavier has an opportunity because he's got such a substantial lead to be able to take a couple of risks," Salazar said.

The candidates have already clashed over a number of issues during their campaigns.

During an earlier CBS California governor's debate, Hilton described himself as a candidate for change, while Becerra argued that California needs a governor willing to oppose President Donald Trump's policies.

The debate comes just days before the state's Oct. 5 deadline for county election offices to begin mailing ballots to registered voters.  

If Becerra is elected, he would become the first Latino governor of California in 150 years, since Romualdo Pacheco. If Hilton is elected, he would become California's first Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger left office in 2011.