California gubernatorial candidates Becerra, Hilton clash in heated debate

(The Center Square) – Republican candidate Steve Hilton and Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra squared off Wednesday night in a heated CNN gubernatorial debate, locking horns over high-stakes issues facing California ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Becerra said Hilton – a political adviser in Great Britain-turned-entrepreneur and media personality – is supported by and agrees with President Donald Trump. Becerra added that Hilton wants to “give the richest Californians, millionaires and billionaires, a 40% tax cut” at the expense of matters such as schools, healthcare and housing.

“We have to have sound policy, whether it’s tax policy or spending policy, to make sure that we can bring our California dream back to life,” said Becerra, who was secretary of health and human services in the Biden administration.

“Right now, we have a situation where if you start making tax breaks for the wealthiest, you damage our working families like my parents,” the Democrat said during the debate at CNN’s studio in Burbank, Calif.

Becerra, a former California congressman who served as the state’s attorney general, is the son of Mexican American immigrants.

Hilton dismissed Becerra’s criticism and thanked CNN for “bringing Xavier out of hiding” for the debate.

“He’s barely been seen in public since the primary four months ago,” said Hilton, who was director of strategy for former British Prime Minister David Cameron. “It’s very important we have this debate, and the simple point is that the quickest way to get more money in people’s pockets is for the government to take less out.”

Hilton also criticized Becerra for being unlikeable and having done little in politics.

“You’ve never created a job. You’ve never actually had to make any money of your own. All you’ve ever done is spent other people’s money in every government job you’ve had,” said Hilton, who was a Fox News anchor and commentator. “According to your Democrat colleagues, the ones who worked with you, like Susan Rice, who worked with you side by side when you were in the Biden cabinet – she described you as an idiot.”

The claim about Rice, who was President Joe Biden’s domestic policy adviser, has been reported by various news outlets. But a spokesperson for Rice has denied the reporting.

Immigration dominated a significant portion of the evening, prompted by a question from moderator Jake Tapper regarding whether Hilton would direct California law enforcement to assist the Trump administration with mass deportations beyond dangerous criminals.

Hilton said his aim was to lower the temperature and focus strictly on public safety.

“We’ve got to get this whole debate back to where most people want it to be, which is to prioritize the removal of dangerous criminals,” Hilton said, criticizing current state leadership for playing politics with public safety.

Becerra sharply criticized Hilton’s stance, accusing him of welcoming aggressive federal immigration tactics. “You seem to welcome immigrants who look like you, but deport immigrants who look like me.”

The exchange escalated into a heated argument over past statements regarding immigration raids and farm workers. Hilton countered by turning the focus to Becerra’s tenure as health and human services secretary, citing investigative reports regarding hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children.

“You were responsible for 479,000 unaccompanied migrant children and for their welfare in camps that you ran,” Hilton said, accusing the former HHS secretary of dismantling vetting systems and sending children into vulnerable conditions.

Becerra defended his record, pointing to the first Trump administration’s family separation practices and stating he was proud of his lifelong work advocating for immigrants and protecting children.

“I will not be part of that, and the record speaks for itself,” Becerra said about family separations.

On the issue of housing, both candidates spoke of plans to build more places for Californians to live.

“We will close the housing gap,” said Becerra. “I have said already that we have to at least double the rate of building of homes. How much can we do? It just depends. How much red tape can we cut?”

Hilton countered that by saying Becerra “has not explained how he would reduce the cost of housing.”

When Becerra reiterated that his plan calls for cutting red tape, Hilton said his Democratic challenger has no track record of standing up to the Legislature in Sacramento.

“When you were there as attorney general, you did nothing to push back against the cost and the craziness of that Legislature,” said Hilton.

Becerra later pointed out that he sued the city of Huntington Beach, but Hilton said, “That’s more red tape, not less.”

(Democratic California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra, left, and Republican California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, right. Photos: Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0, Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)