Just days before voters start to receive their ballots in the mail, California's gubernatorial candidates will face off in a nationally televised debate.
Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton will square off during a CNN debate in the Los Angeles area the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 30.
CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate the debate, which is slated to be the first time the pair will share a debate stage since advancing from the crowded June primary.
Here's what Californians should know ahead of Wednesday's gubernatorial debate.
What time is the debate?
The hour-long debate is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
How to tune into debate
The debate will stream live on CNN.com and through CNN's connected TV and mobile apps for CNN streaming and pay
TV subscribers.
After the debate has ended, it will be available on demand for CNN’s streaming and pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps, and other cable providers.
CNN debate qualifications
To qualify for the debate, the candidates had to meet certain qualifications, including those outlined by the California Secretary of State, raised, contributed, or loaned at least $1 million for their gubernatorial campaign, and received at least 15% support among registered or likely voters in two polls with methodologies that met CNN’s standards.
Who are the candidates?
Becerra and Hilton advanced to the general election through California's top-two primary system, in which all candidates compete on the same ballot regardless of party, and the two highest vote-getters move on to November. Becerra finished first in the June primary with 28% of the vote, while Hilton placed second with 24.6%.
Hilton, a former Fox News host and U.K. political strategist, is running on a platform centered on reducing taxes, easing regulations and challenging Democratic leadership in California. He has argued that the state needs a new direction on issues including energy, crime, education and housing affordability.
"California means to America what America means to the world," Hilton said when announcing his candidacy. "Let's make California the land of opportunity again."
Becerra, the former California Attorney General who most recently served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden Administration, is campaigning to strengthen the economy, protect civil rights, and address affordability challenges facing working families.
"California is at a crossroads," Becerra said when launching his campaign. "The California Dream is slipping away."
Who's leading California's governor's race? Here's what recent polls show
Since the primary, Becerra has held a wide lead over Hilton in multiple polls, including a Sept. 24 poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, where Becerra captured 58% of likely voters, while Hilton held 33%. At the time, 9% of likely voters were undecided.
The 25-point advantage is larger than in an August IGS poll, which found Becerra led Hilton by 18 points, 55% to 37%.
“These results suggest that Becerra is in a commanding position heading to November," IGS co-director Eric Schickler said in a statement. "With 2026 shaping up to be a strong Democratic year nationally, the headwinds facing Hilton in Democratic-leaning California are even stronger than usual."
The poll also found that California voters are divided along party and ideological lines, with Becerra leading among Democrats (90% to 3%) and Hilton leading among Republicans (90% to 4%).
The poll, conducted between Sept. 15 and Sept. 20 among 6,989 registered voters, including 4,512 likely general election voters, had a margin of error of ±2 percentage points.
A separate poll commissioned by Hilton's campaign, however, found the race to be much tighter, withBecerra holding 49.2% of the vote and Hilton 41%, according to reporting from the California Post. The poll, conducted by David Wolfson — a pollster and faculty member in Columbia University’s Political Analytics graduate program — between Aug. 14 and Aug. 16, included a sample of 912 California registered voters and had a 3.3-point margin of sampling error.
Governor race hinges on affordability issues
Recent polling has suggested that California's gubernatorial race hinges on affordability issues.
According to the most recent UC Berkeley IGS poll, when voters were presented with a list of issues in the upcoming general election and asked to pick their top two concerns, reducing the cost of living ranked first (44%), followed by fighting Trump administration policies (37%). Those were followed by ensuring their party maintains or wins control of Congress (30%) and reducing taxes (24%).
Supporters of both candidates cite the cost of living and control of Congress as major concerns. However, Becerra's supporters are more focused on fighting Trump administration policies, while Hilton's supporters are more focused on reducing taxes. Among undecided voters, the cost of living remains the top concern.
A separate Public Policy Institute of California's survey released Sept. 15 found that 65% of voters say a candidate's position on affordability is very important in determining their gubernatorial pick.
Additionally, the poll found that a majority of likely voters (52%) say the state is headed in the wrong direction. This view is held by 94% of Republicans, 55% of independents, and 32% of Democrats.
Key dates for November general election
Here are some key upcoming dates for California's general election in November:
- Between Sept. 24 and Oct. 13: Secretary of State will mail the Voter Information Guide
- Between Sept. 24 and Oct. 13: County elections officials will mail the County Voter Information Guide
- Oct. 5: No later than this date, county elections officials will begin mailing registered voters vote-by-mail ballots
- Oct. 5: Early voting sites open
- Oct. 6: Ballot drop-off locations open
- Oct. 19: Last day to register to vote in the general election
- Oct. 20: Same-day registration is available
- Oct. 20: Voter's Choice Act counties open vote centers
- Nov. 3: Election Day. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Dec. 3: Last day for county elections officials to certify election results
- Dec. 4: County elections officials will send the California Secretary of State a complete copy of the general election returns
- Dec. 11: Statement of Vote certified by the California Secretary of State
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Becerra, Hilton to face off in California governor debate. What to know
