Steve Hilton, Xavier Becerra clash in testy California governor’s race debate

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The candidates running to replace Gavin Newsom sparred over taxes, immigration and regulating AI

Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton, the candidates running to be California’s next governor, clashed Wednesday over taxes, immigration and regulating artificial intelligence in a testy debate held days before voters begin receiving their ballots in the heavily Democratic state.

Hilton, the former Fox News host endorsed by Donald Trump, used the hourlong matchup, hosted by CNN, to argue that Becerra, a former congressman who served as health and human services secretary during the Biden administration, was not actively campaigning and instead taking voters for granted.

“He wasn’t even supposed to be the candidate,” Hilton, 57, said, referring to Becerra’s unexpected success after an unusually wild primary campaign. “I just want to ask every Californian: Aren’t you tired of that?”

Becerra, 68, pitched his experience as an asset, vowing to tackle the state’s punishing cost of living crisis while being a bulwark against the Trump administration’s policies. He accused Hilton of owing loyalty to Trump – and not the state that roundly rejected the president in each of the last three presidential elections.

“If you listen closely, you can hear Donald Trump in that response,” Becerra said of Hilton’s reply to a question about regulating the development of AI.

Hilton’s bid to succeed California’s term-limited governor, Gavin Newsom, is aimed at voter discontent with the political status quo in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican governor in two decades. But his pitch