On April 28, eight candidates squared off at Pomona College for the largest California gubernatorial debate yet — a spectacle students likened to a political sitcom. With antics like Chad Bianco accusing his opponents of “lying to these kids,” or Katie Porter hanging her head in mock exhaustion, the debate offered the audience a candid look into the orderly disorder of state politics.
“It felt like a ‘Veep’ episode but, nonetheless, certainly made me want to bring my popcorn,” attendee Oak Jarvis PO ’28 said after the conclusion of the debate.
With mere days until primary ballots are sent out on May 4, Tuesday’s debate gave candidates a chance to distinguish themselves in the closely contested jungle primary, wherein the top two candidates — regardless of party affiliation — will advance to the November election.
After frontrunner Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race following sexual assault allegations, former California attorney general Xavier Becerra, who had been polling in the low single digits, received a significant boost in voter support. Billionaire entrepreneur Tom Steyer and former congresswoman Katie Porter accompany Becerra as the top Democratic candidates, while Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco continue to lead the polls.
Student and faculty support were central to the debate, the first event of its kind hosted at the Claremont Colleges. The proceedings were moderated in part by Pomona politics professor Sara Sadhwani and showcased student questions and commentary throughout. Students also performed soundcheck, ushered guests and comprised the majority of the audience.
5C students, many of whom are eligible to vote in California, initially took their seats in Bridges Auditorium hoping to gain clarity ahead of the primaries. However, Jarvis said he left feeling “discouraged” with his options.
“There just seems to be a general theme of uncertainty about who the future leader of the state is,” Jarvis said. He noted how the large number of candidates and lack of clear frontrunner at this stage in the race made Tuesday’s debate all the more important.
“While it’s cool that there’s a diverse array of candidates, it’s a little concerning how deeply they split votes,” he said.
Many attendees were interested to hear the candidates’ stances on prominent issues like immigration, housing and affordability. However, with candidates frequently taking the offensive and speaking over one another, viewers learned more about candidates’ personalities than their policies.
“The first thing we have to do is stop Steve Hilton’s daddy, who endorsed him,” Becerra said in response to a question about the rising cost of healthcare, alluding to President Donald Trump and his recent trillion dollar Medicaid cuts. After this comment, the debate devolved into minutes of off-book bickering.
Porter interrupted Bianco to probe for his thoughts on her single-payer healthcare proposal, to which he responded, “If you want socialism, go somewhere else.”
“I thought we had rules here,” current Democratic candidate and former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said to the moderators, sounding frustrated. “We’re not supposed to go back and forth. I thought we had like 45 seconds apiece.”
When the stage eventually settled, the moderators gave student voices the floor.
Pomona’s debate featured three questions from students, covering issues from the economy to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Ryan Kossarian PO ’27, Kloi Ogans PO ’28 and Dante Gilbert PO ’27 each approached the mic stand to address the candidates from the audience.
“Wow, that was a bit of a mess,” Kossarrian said. He then asked how the candidates plan to address the rising cost of higher education and the declining job market as governor. To this, Villaraigosa and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond expressed discontent with the current price of college tuition.
After the debate, Kossarian shared in an interview that he originally wanted to ask about housing affordability.
“My question was something completely different than the question they made me ask,” Kossarian said, referring to his communication with CBS California, who sponsored the event. “They made me rewrite it. They gave me a script.”
“My question was something completely different than the question they made me ask,” Kossarian said, referring to his communication with CBS California, who sponsored the event. “They made me rewrite it. They gave me a script.”
Gilbert, who asked the last student-led question of the night, shared similar dissatisfaction with CBS’s question modification. Hailing from Minnesota, Gilbert originally intended to ask about each candidate’s proposed policies on regulating ICE in California. When it came time for the debate dress rehearsal, though, Gilbert said their script was also involuntarily rewritten.
The new script “made [my question] a lot less powerful,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert’s question was restructured to fit a lightning-round model that prompted “yes” or “no” responses. It was reworded to broadly ask whether candidates would support assault charges against ICE agents, accomplishing little beyond splitting party lines. All the Democrats said they would support such charges, while the Republicans disagreed.
“I think getting to hear their full positions on ICE would have been more interesting, more reassuring, especially since ICE is a pretty big topic right now,” Gilbert said. “I think it dumbed down the question a lot and made it less useful for people to know who they’re voting for.”
Gilbert found CBS’ student selection and question revision processes confusing. They thought this lack of transparency reflected the debate’s overall shortcomings.
“Did they actually want our questions, or did they pick us for demographic reasons, or were they interested in the themes of our questions but knew they would change them later?” Gilbert said. “I’m curious about that process and how that fits into the performance spectacle of the whole thing.”
Other students said they left the debate feeling worried about the future of California. The night made Kossarian doubt whether he is going to cast a vote at all.
“These people are not interested in us. They’re interested in themselves and their careers,” Kossarian said in his interview. He drew attention to what himself and many other Californians are looking for in their future governor.
“When I walk out on the streets, I see empty businesses; I see a bunch of apartments being built. I want homes,” Kossarian said. “That’s what I’m interested in, I’m interested in actually helping Californians. They’re not, so I think any vote that I would make is in vain.”
In a free-for-all primary that has seen scandal and upheaval across the political spectrum, Tuesday’s debate did little to help Pomona student voters with the calculus of their decision.
“I don’t know who I’m voting for,” Jarvis said. “And there’s a general feeling among my peers, who are from California, that they also don’t know who they’re voting for.”