Candidates running to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) zeroed in on Xavier Becerra during Tuesday night’s debate, the latest indication that the former Health and Human Services secretary may be the one to beat.
During the two-hour CNN debate, Becerra took hits from both Republicans and the four other Democrats onstage about everything from handling immigrant minors during his time at HHS to his evolving stance on single-payer healthcare, ties to Big Oil, and a campaign finance scandal involving a former aide.
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The televised debate came one day after voters began receiving mail-in ballots for the June 2 primary, raising the stakes for a field in which five of the eight candidates are clustered within striking distance of one another. With early voting underway, the window to break out is shrinking rapidly. The candidates will meet again on Wednesday night.
GOP front-runner Steve Hilton, who is tied with Becerra in the latest poll from the California Democratic Party, questioned Becerra about his role in a criminal case involving the top aide, claiming he was “mired personally in a corruption scandal.”
The accusation stems from Becerra’s relationship with Sean McCluskie, who, along with two others, is accused of stealing $225,000 worth of Becerra’s dormant campaign funds for personal use, leading critics to accuse Becerra of being “asleep at the wheel” while his aide looted him.
Becerra said that he had no knowledge of the alleged crimes and no role in the case.
“If I had been involved, the U.S. attorney would have had me in that indictment,” he said. “I was not involved.”
Becerra was also criticized for shifting his stance on single-payer healthcare, a key issue for California voters that seeks to establish a federally run and funded healthcare system.
Although Becerra has historically backed single-payer healthcare, he recently told the California Medical Association — a major medical lobbying group that has endorsed him — that he would not pursue such a system as governor, according to a KQED report. When pressed about the reversal, Becerra dismissed the reports as “inaccurate” and reaffirmed his support for Medicare for all.
Former congresswoman Katie Porter, who is polling near the bottom of the Democratic pack, repeatedly asked Becerra for a direct answer about whether he would endorse a state-based single-payer system for California. He dodged the question and instead emphasized his goal of providing “everyone with something like Medicare for all.”
In response, Porter pointed out that simply covering everyone with some form of healthcare does not equate to single-payer or even federal Medicare for all, and she criticized Becerra for not clarifying his stance on a California-specific single-payer plan.
The focus on Becerra underscores his surge to the top of the crowded race. Once stuck in the low single digits in a sprawling field that at one point included 60 candidates, he has surged in polls in recent weeks. His ascent followed the abrupt exit of former Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell, who dropped out of the race last month amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.
“Secretary Becerra was mostly able to parry and repel the avalanche of attacks he received across the debate stage,” Jeff Le, political expert and managing principal at 100 Mile Strategies, told the Washington Examiner. “His comments and rebuttals were able to defuse criticisms of his HHS secretary tenure and his acceptance of oil campaign money by coming across as even-keeled and nonplussed, creating a sentiment that he could oversee the state and challenge President Trump. Hits on his healthcare stance appeared to be semantic and inside baseball, which may not move an electorate that already has its mail-in ballots and where undecided voters are consolidated.”
Veteran political expert Garry South also credited Becerra for handling all the heat directed his way.
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“Becerra was under attack from all quarters, some of them total cheap shots, and from fellow Democrats who should be ashamed of themselves, unbelievably parroting certain Trump fake talking points,” he told the Washington Examiner. “But Becerra handled the pressure quite well, and did it with grace and poise. He was really the only one on the stage who actually looked and acted like a governor.”
Becerra and his rivals will face off again Wednesday night. That debate will be hosted by NBC Los Angeles. Before the main event, it will feature a one-hour Los Angeles mayoral debate between Mayor Karen Bass (D), LA City Council member Nithya Raman (D), and reality TV star Spencer Pratt, who has called out Bass and Raman as part of what he believes is a failed status quo.
