Clockwise from top left: Xavier Becerra, Tony Thurmond, Betty Yee and Antonio Villaraigosa.(Nathan Ellgren / AP; Josh Edelson / For The Times; Betty Yee, California State Board of Equalization; Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
Four Democrats in the race for California governor are urging their rivals to skip an upcoming debate at the University of Southern California (USC), contending that the organizers’ standards for participation effectively shut out all major candidates of color from the stage.
That debate is being organized by USC, Los Angeles television station KABC and Univision.
Those not invited include Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond; Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra; Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; and former State Controller Betty Yee – all of whom are candidates of color and had been considered significant contenders in the race.
Scheduled for March 24 on the campus of USC, the gubernatorial debate is set to feature six candidates: Democratic billionaire businessman and activist Tom Steyer; Republican conservative commentator and former Fox News host Steve Hilton; U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA-14); former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D); San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan (D) and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco(R).
Organizers say the candidates they invited qualified under polling and fundraising criteria they set up.
Thurmond delivered some of the sharpest criticism of the selection process in a video statement released from the State Capitol, framing the controversy as both a political and historic issue in California’s leadership.
“California has never had a governor of color,” Thurmond said. “For nearly two centuries we’ve had governors who were white men. Now, in one of the most diverse states in the country, with one of the most diverse candidate fields we’ve ever seen, debate organizers have put together a stage that shuts out candidates of color. That’s a choice — a choice by USC, by KABC and by Univision to ignore the reality of California and to silence the voices that power this state.”
Thurmond, who has twice won statewide office and currently leads the nation’s largest public school system, questioned how he and other long-serving leaders were deemed unqualified to participate while lesser-known candidates were invited.
“Let’s be clear — I’ve been elected statewide twice,” he said. “Yet somehow, I’m not qualified for their stage, while a candidate polling at 3% and backed by billionaire donors is. This is exactly how the system protects power — billionaires and insiders deciding who gets seen.”
Supporters of the boycott say debate access can shape voter perceptions and campaign momentum in a crowded gubernatorial race. They argue that excluding candidates of color undermines representation in a state where no person of color has ever served as governor.
Despite the dispute, Thurmond urged supporters to stay engaged.
“They may try to shut us out of their debate stage,” he said, “but they can’t shut us out of this movement — not if we keep showing up and building a California that reflects all of us.”
