Who Won the 2026 Hilton-Becerra California Governor Debate?

CNN (Lean Left bias) hosted a gubernatorial debate in California on Wednesday. Los Angeles Times (Lean Left) columnists said they thought it was a "blowout" in favor of the Democrat, Xavier Becerra, while an opinion from The New York Post (Right) said the Republican Steve Hilton "battered" Becerra.

From the Left: Three LA Times columnists, Gustavo Arellano, Mark Z. Barabak, and Anita Chabria, came to the consensus that Becerra, who served as health secretary in the Biden administration, was the clear victor. Chabria said, "Becerra was the clear winner, and [Hilton]... came across flat too much of the time… But Becerra also failed to lay out any kind of vision for the future of California. He did a good job of fending off Hilton's attacks, but never told us what a vote for him will bring to the average Californian." Barabak said, "Hilton's most effective moments came when he asked why unhappy California voters should expect anything different if they keep electing Democrats. Not an unreasonable question. Trump Lite, however, doesn't seem like the remedy most are looking for."

From the Right: New York Post editor Joel Pollak said the former Fox News (Right) host Hilton "ran circles around Becerra… who seemed unable to answer basic questions about his record or his policies." Pollak said Hilton "pressed Becerra with specific questions on his record" on things like housing regulations, donations from AI giants, mask mandates, and missing migrant children. He added, "Becerra became so desperate that he resorted to a below-the-belt racial attack, saying Hilton only wanted immigrants who looked like him (i.e. white)." Pollak concluded that while Hilton likely won't win the election, the debate was "memorable" because he "made an impassioned case for trying something different" that "might help down-ticket races."

From the Center: CalMatters (Center) published the headline "Hilton blames Democrats. Becerra blames Trump. Little was learned in governor's race debate," though author Dan Walters mostly framed Hilton as the sharper of the two. He wrote, "[Hilton] actually put forth some policy changes he would propose if elected, mostly reducing regulations and red tape. Becerra, however, adhered doggedly to his 'Trump, Trump, Trump' strategy and provided virtually no insight to how he would handle the issues." Walters said the anchors "tried their best" to stoke important dialogue on "real" issues, and that "Hilton actually did respond" while "Becerra just ducked." Walters concluded, "Hilton's point that Democrats own the issues raised in the debate is quite valid, as Becerra will learn after he takes office."

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