California governor debate: Becerra ties Hilton to Trump, cost of living and artificial intelligence at the centre

On Wednesday evening CNN hosted the debate between the two candidates for governor of California: Xavier Becerra (Democrat, former Secretary of Health in President Joe Biden’s administration and former attorney general of California, the favourite in the race) and Steve Hilton (Republican, former Fox News presenter and British political operative). The debate is likely to be their only one before the race to replace Governor Gavin Newsom, whose term is ending. California is the most populous U.S. state, home to about 12% of Americans.

Becerra’s strategy was clear from the first minutes: to tie Hilton to President Donald Trump at every opportunity. “You will end up with Trump’s results if you follow Steve Hilton’s plan”, he said, as CNN reports. On taxes, Hilton proposed abolishing the state income tax on the first $150,000 Californians earn, with a flat rate of 8% above that level. Becerra compared them to Trump’s tax cuts, saying they would mainly benefit the rich and that “his math doesn’t add up”.

On artificial intelligence, Hilton was unclear whether AI companies should be regulated by the state. Becerra compared it to the “pinky promise” Trump got from the AI giants for self-regulation at a White House dinner this week. “If you listen carefully, you can hear Donald Trump in that answer from Steve Hilton”, Becerra said. Hilton said his priorities are keeping AI jobs in California and protecting children, and repeated his call for an “immediate halt” to AI in classrooms.

On immigration, Hilton tried to distance himself from Trump’s immigration enforcement policies, saying his aim would be to “lower the temperature”; Becerra said Hilton as governor would enforce “Trump’s laws” and not the state’s. “All you say is ‘Trump, Trump, Trump’… that is nothing but an insult to every Californian who is desperate for change”, Hilton replied.

The cost of living, the main issue for voters, brought the sharpest exchange: Hilton announced a new proposal to cap government construction fees at $50,000; Becerra promised to “cut red tape”, but Hilton challenged him over his housing record as attorney general — Becerra sued the city of Huntington Beach in 2019 for failing to meet affordable housing requirements. “The definition of insanity is believing that the people who put in the red tape will cut it”, Hilton said. On data centres, Becerra said the decision should be taken case by case by communities: “If all you are going to do is steal their energy, electricity and water, that is not a good deal”.

Hilton accused Becerra of “hiding” and running a cautious campaign without interviews — even though polls give Becerra a large lead — and attacked him over his time in Biden’s cabinet, mentioning the record influx of unaccompanied minors at the border, HHS guidance on masks and vaccines, and the criticism reportedly voiced by Susan Rice, Biden’s domestic adviser, who had called Becerra an “idiot”. “I helped create millions of jobs”, Becerra replied: “I am asking for the vote of California’s voters, not of some politician in Washington”. On Hollywood, Becerra promised to “do everything” to keep the film industry in California: “If we give tax credits, as long as we get more than a dollar back for that dollar of credit, we will do it”, while Hilton blamed one-party Democratic rule for jobs leaving.