April 22 (UPI) — In the first major event since lead contender Eric Swalwell dropped out, six candidates for California governor will meet in a televised debate Wednesday night.
The debate, which will include four Democrats and two Republicans, will take place in the KRON4 television studio in San Francisco. The New York Times reported that the six remain “tightly bunched” in recent polls, and the primary will take place June 2.
Democrat Swalwell, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, was a favorite in the race before he dropped out and then resigned from Congress earlier this month after multiple allegations of sexual assault.
Democrat Betty Yee, a former state controller, withdrew from the race Monday.
The remaining candidates taking place in Wednesday’s debate are Democrats Tom Steyer, a former hedge fund manager; Xavier Beccera, a former California attorney general; Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose; and Katie Porter, a former congresswoman, and Republicans Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, and Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County. The top two vote-getters in June will advance to the November general election regardless of party affiliation.
“Even though we have seen some movement in the last couple of weeks, it continues to be a fairly crowded, fractured field,” Sara Sadhwani, an assistant professor of politics at Pomona College, told the New York Times. “So candidates need to be able to grab attention in a debate like this.”
The candidates are expected to address voter concerns about future policy, affordability and public safety, The Hill reported.
The debate was to start at 7 p.m. PST. It will be broadcast on multiple stations and streamed online by KRON and The Hill.
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