Ahead of voting starting in California’s upcoming primary elections, the candidates for governor have multiple chances to share a debate stage.
Four debates have been scheduled through early May, when ballots are scheduled to be mailed to registered California voters.
The crowded field of candidates has narrowed a bit in recent weeks: Betty Yee ended her campaign on April 20 after failing to gain traction in polling, and Eric Swalwell exited the race the week prior amid sexual assault allegations, which he has denied.
Recent polling has shown many voters are still undecided in the race to replace a term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. But among those who have picked a candidate, it’s two Republicans, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and political commentator Steve Hilton, who have topped the surveys.
Leading the Democratic contenders have been environmental billionaire Tom Steyer, former Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Biden Cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
A debate scheduled for late March was abruptly canceled less than 24 hours before the event amid controversy that no candidates of color were invited to participate. USC said it stood by the formula created by one of its professors to determine if candidates would qualify for the debate stage — it included polling percentage and fundraising, as well as the number of days a candidate was in the race — but said the criticism “created a significant distraction from the issues that matter to voters.” At the time, California’s legislative leaders were encouraging a boycott of the debate.
Here’s a look at the remaining debates on the calendar, who was invited to participate and how you can watch.
April 22: Nexstar Media Group
Becerra, Bianco, Hilton, Mahan, Porter and Steyer are set to take to the debate stage on Wednesday in San Francisco at 7 p.m. for 90 minutes.
The first hour of the debate will be aired on television — KTLA5 in the Los Angeles area and Fox5/KUSI in San Diego — with the final 30 minutes available on streaming only.
To qualify for the debate stage, candidates had to earn at least 5% support in recent statewide polling, after Swalwell’s exit from the race.
Nikki Laurenzo, host of “Inside California Politics” and a news anchor in Sacramento, and Frank Buckley, a morning news anchor at KTLA/5 in Los Angeles, will moderate this debate.
A Spanish-language broadcast of the debate will also be available on KTLA’s website.
April 28: CBS
Candidates will take to a debate stage at Pomona College’s Bridges Auditorium at 5:30 p.m., an event that will be broadcast across CBS stations and streaming platforms. In the Los Angeles area, the debate will be shown on KCBS/2 and KCAL/9.
Eight candidates have confirmed their attendance: Becerra, Bianco, Hilton, Mahan, Porter, Steyer, Thurmond and Villaraigosa.
Candidates needed to have active campaigns that will appear on the ballot and at least 1% support on both Emerson College and Los Angeles Times/UC Berkeley polls.
CBS Los Angeles anchor Pat Harvey, CBS Sacramento anchor Tony Lopez, CBS Bay Area anchor Ryan Yamamoto, CBS News California Investigates correspondent Julie Watts and Pomona College political science professor Sara Sadhwani will moderate. The debate is being held in collaboration with the Asian Pacific American Public Affairs Association.
May 5: CNN
CNN will air a two-hour debate on television and streaming services starting at 6 p.m.
Candidates will be notified if they can participate in this debate by April 27, CNN said. To qualify, candidates must have raised, contributed or loaned at least $1 million for their gubernatorial campaign; received at least 3% support among likely primary voters in two polls or an average of 3% in two polls with methodology that meets CNN’s standards for reporting; and otherwise meet qualifications to be a candidate outlined by the California secretary of state.
The debate will be held in the Los Angeles area and moderated by anchors Kaitlan Collins and Elex Michaelson.
The live debate can be found not only on CNN but on CNN International and CNN en Español as well.
May 6: NBC
Hosted by NBC 4/KNBC and Telemundo 52/KVEA, a one-hour debate will take place at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles in partnership with Loyola Marymount University.
The stations will first hold a Los Angeles mayoral debate at 5 p.m., followed by a statewide broadcast of a gubernatorial debate at 7 p.m.
Candidates have not yet been announced for this contest, but to qualify, they must have at least 5% in two or more polls — both need to have been conducted in 2026 — that meet NBC News’ reporting standards by May 1. To be considered eligible polls, they must be deemed reliable in terms of methodology and accuracy and the pollster or the organization behind the survey must be nonpartisan.
NBC4 anchor Colleen Williams, NBC4 chief political reporter Conan Nolan and Noticiero Telemundo 52 anchor Enrique Chiabra will moderate both debates.
In the Los Angeles area, the debates will be broadcast in English on KNBC, and in San Diego on KNSD. The Spanish-language broadcasts will be found on KVEA in Los Angeles and KUAN in San Diego.