A televised showdown in the race to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom was scrapped at the last minute amid anger over who made the cut and who didn't—specifically, any people of color, the New York Times reports. The University of Southern California pulled Tuesday's gubernatorial debate less than 24 hours before airtime, saying controversy over the lineup had become a "significant distraction" from issues voters care about. USC and broadcaster KABC said they couldn't agree on how to broaden the stage.
The now-canceled debate was set to feature six white candidates: two Republicans and four Democrats, including San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a late entrant with low poll numbers but major Silicon Valley backing. Left out were four well-known Democrats of color—Betty Yee, Xavier Becerra, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Tony Thurmond—each polling in the single digits. "We are a minority-majority state," Yee said, arguing their exclusion denied key perspectives. The four held a press conference urging invited candidates to boycott and decrying pressure to drop out as party leaders seek to narrow the field. Legislative leaders also pressed USC to include all 10 leading contenders.
USC's selection formula, crafted by political scientist Christian Grose using polling and fundraising data, drew both criticism and an academic defense from dozens of professors. They said in a statement that Grose's criteria are "among the most widely accepted indicators of candidate viability in both academic research and applied practice," per ABC 7.
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