{"id":2583326,"date":"2026-03-24T13:16:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T17:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/usc-cancels-california-gubernatorial-debate-after-race-controversy\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T13:18:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T17:18:46","slug":"usc-cancels-california-gubernatorial-debate-after-race-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/usc-cancels-california-gubernatorial-debate-after-race-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"USC cancels California gubernatorial debate after race controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fusc-cancels-california-gubernatorial-debate-after-race-controversy%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2583326&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The University of southern California canceled its planned California gubernatorial debate less than a day before it was to occur, amid mounting backlash over the exclusion of all candidates of colour from the stage. USC and co-host KABC could not reach agreement on broadening participation, prompting the school to scrap the event and seek other ways to educate voters.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy centered on the selection method devised by USC political scientist Christian Grose, which critics said biased the field. Four candidates of color-Xavier Becerra, Antonio Villaraigosa, Tony thurmond, and Betty Yee-were left off the stage, while Matt mahan, a white candidate, was included. Lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limon, urged voters to boycott the debate unless the excluded candidates were invited.Becerra celebrated the cancellation on social media, calling it a victory for fairness, while a separate group of academics defended Grose, arguing against personal attacks and political pressure on academic work.<\/p>\n<p>Polls around the time showed a crowded and volatile race. A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies survey pegged Hilton and Bianco at 17% each, Swalwell and Porter at 13% each, Steyer at 10%, with Becerra at 5%, Villaraigosa and Mahan at 4%, and Yee and Thurmond at 1% each. The debate cancellation came as California\u2019s gubernatorial contest approached a high-stakes moment with ballots soon to be mailed. USC indicated it woudl seek other opportunities to inform voters about the candidates and issues.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">USC pulls plug on California gubernatorial debate after candidate race controversy<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2514954\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usc.edu\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.usc.edu\/\">University of Southern California&nbsp;<\/a>abruptly called off its planned Tuesday gubernatorial debate less than a day before it was scheduled, following an intensifying backlash over the exclusion of all candidates of color from the stage.<\/p>\n<p>School officials initially stood by the selection process used to determine which contenders qualified for the forum. But as criticism mounted, the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/colleges-and-universities\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3124\">university<\/a> ultimately scrapped the event, citing the growing controversy and an impasse with co-host&nbsp;KABC&nbsp;over whether to broaden participation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4501292\/cpac-calls-john-cornyn-bluff-speaking-slot\/\">CPAC tests Cornyn with offer of speaking slot<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4501275\/democrats-unable-overcome-gop-fundraising-advantage-fec-filing\/\">Democrats unable to overcome massive GOP fundraising advantage, FEC filings show<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4501054\/brendan-carr-fcc-texas-senate-race-talarico-polling\/\">GOP concern grows as FCC commissioner Brendan Carr may have reshaped Texas Senate race<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Betty Yee stand onstage during the California gubernatorial candidate debate Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo\/Laure Andrillon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;We recognize that concerns about the selection criteria for tomorrow&rsquo;s gubernatorial debate have created a significant distraction from the issues that matter to voters,&rdquo; the university said in a statement late Monday. &ldquo;Unfortunately, USC and [debate co-sponsor] KABC have not been able to reach an agreement on expanding the number of candidates at tomorrow&rsquo;s debate. As a result, USC has made the difficult decision to cancel tomorrow&rsquo;s debate and will look for other opportunities to educate voters on the candidates and issues.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The now-canceled debate had been scheduled at a pivotal moment in the crowded race, less than two months before ballots are set to be mailed in what has become one of the most volatile and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >wide-open gubernatorial contests<\/a> in recent <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"60\">California<\/a> history.<\/p>\n<p>The decision followed days of mounting pressure, including sharp objections from four <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-packs-schedule-with-rallies-before-midterms-in-key-states\/\" title=\"Trump Packs Schedule With Rallies Before Midterms in Key States\">high-profile candidates<\/a> of color who had been left off the debate stage and urged fellow Democrats to boycott the event.<\/p>\n<p>Among them, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/xavier-becerra\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1719\">Xavier Becerra<\/a>, who&nbsp;praised the cancellation as a victory, posted on social media that the protest effort had succeeded in challenging what he described as an unfair setup.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We fought. We won!&rdquo; he posted on X. &ldquo;We stood up against an unfair candidate debate set-up that prematurely chose winners and losers. Tonight USC made the right decision to cancel their March 24 gubernatorial forum&hellip;so hopefully next time it&rsquo;s done right.&nbsp;Thank you to everyone who stood up, raised hell and demanded justice. Never give up when you&rsquo;re fighting for fairness!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We fought. We won! We stood up against an unfair candidate debate set-up that prematurely chose winners and losers. Tonight USC made the right decision to cancel their March 24 gubernatorial forum&hellip;so hopefully next time it&rsquo;s done right.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Thank you to everyone who stood up,&hellip; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8drdYNM1Sb\">https:\/\/t.co\/8drdYNM1Sb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Xavier Becerra (@XavierBecerra) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/XavierBecerra\/status\/2036334466113872062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 24, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The controversy escalated further just hours before the cancellation, when top Democratic state lawmakers &mdash; including Assembly Speaker&nbsp;Robert Rivas&nbsp;(D-CA) and Senate President Pro Tem&nbsp;Monique Limon&nbsp;&mdash; urged voters to skip the debate unless the excluded candidates were invited. In a letter to USC President&nbsp;Beong-Soo Kim, they warned that backlash was growing rapidly across the state, fueled by legal threats, campaign criticism, and voter frustration.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy over the methodology, developed by USC political scientist&nbsp;Christian Grose, centered on the inclusion of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan (D), a white candidate who entered the race earlier this year and is generally polling at 3%-4%. Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and former state Controller Betty Yee, all of whom are polling between 1% and 5%, were excluded.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The university&rsquo;s selection process &mdash; built on a formula never before used for a debate of this scale- has delivered a result that is biased,&rdquo; the legislative leaders&rsquo; letter said. &ldquo;When a methodology produces this outcome &mdash; one that elevates a candidate with notable ties to USC&rsquo;s donor community and the co-director of the Dornsife Center for the Political Future &mdash; the burden falls on USC to explain itself, not on everyone else to accept it. If USC does not do the right thing, we call on California voters to boycott this debate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4500676\/tom-steyer-declines-grade-gavin-newsom-california-governor-race\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4500676\/tom-steyer-declines-grade-gavin-newsom-california-governor-race\/\">CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR CANDIDATE DECLINES TO GRADE NEWSOM: &lsquo;I DON&rsquo;T KNOW&rsquo;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Even as political tensions flared, a separate group of academics from institutions including&nbsp;the University of California, Los Angeles,&nbsp;Stanford University, and&nbsp;Harvard University&nbsp;issued an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/161o_YJQHRt-wyPLo1mInnwYxivS95rrb\/view\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/161o_YJQHRt-wyPLo1mInnwYxivS95rrb\/view\">eight-page letter <\/a>in defense of Grose. They argued that while scholarly disagreements are expected, the backlash had veered into personal attacks and unfounded accusations, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/natalie-winters-visits-site-of-rainbow-burnout-in-florida-photo\/\" title=\"Natalie Winters tours Florida&#039;s &#039;rainbow burnout&#039; location (photo)\">raising broader concerns<\/a> about political pressure on academic work.<\/p>\n<p>A recent UC-Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll showed Republican candidates Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/escholarship.org\/uc\/item\/2h95684f\">each pulling 17% of the vote<\/a>. U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter followed with with 13%, while billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer pulled in 10%. Becerra had 5%, Villaraigosa and Mahan tied at 4%, while Yee and Thurmond had 1% each.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>USC canceled its planned California gubernatorial debate just before it was to take place, amid mounting backlash over excluding all candidates of color from the stage. While USC and co-host KABC initially defended the selection process, they couldn&#8217;t agree on broadening participation, leading to the decision to call off the event and pursue other ways to inform voters. The cancellation came at a critical point in a crowded and volatile race, less than two months before ballots go out. Four prominent minority candidates-Xavier Becerra, Antonio Villaraigosa, Tony Thurmond, and Betty Yee-had been left off the debate and urged Democrats to boycott; Becerra welcomed the move on social media, calling it a victory for fairness. California lawmakers pressed voters to skip the debate unless the excluded candidates were invited, warning of growing backlash and potential legal threats. The controversy centered on a methodology developed by political scientist Christian Grose that favored Matt Mahan, a white candidate polling around 3-4%, while the excluded figures were polling between about 1% and 5%. Lawmakers argued the method produced a biased outcome and demanded an explanation, while others, including academics from UCLA, Stanford, and Harvard, defended Grose\u2019s approach in an eight-page letter. A UC Berkeley poll showed Hilton and Bianco at 17% each, Swalwell and Porter at 13% each, Steyer at 10%, Becerra at 5%, Villaraigosa and Mahan at 4% each, and Yee and Thurmond at 1% each<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2583327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cagovdebate.jpeg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[4045,3896,4764,76464,45361],"class_list":["post-2583326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-california","tag-debate","tag-gubernatorial","tag-race-controversy-2","tag-usc"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cagovdebate.jpeg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2583326"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2583330,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583326\/revisions\/2583330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2583327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2583326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2583326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2583326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}