USC canceled its planned Tuesday gubernatorial debate, a stunning about-face that came after days of fiery criticism about excluding every prominent candidate of color from participating. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former state Controller Betty Yee — all Democrats — had been excluded from the debate field. Politics Democrats excluded from USC gubernatorial debate urge rivals to boycott in solidarity Four Democrats running for California governor who were excluded from an upcoming debate at USC urged their rivals to boycott the event because it excludes every candidate of color. We stood up against an unfair candidate debate set-up that prematurely chose winners and losers,” Becerra posted Monday night on X. “USC, and every host of a gubernatorial debate, should employ fair, objective, and honest criteria for all candidates.”Porter expressed similar thoughts.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 25, 2026 03:54 UTC