Becerra surges, Steyer burns cash, as CA gov debate tests the field
Thursday, April 23, 2026 · 8 min
The California governor's race hit a genuine inflection point this week, with a debate Wednesday night forcing the question every voter and donor is quietly asking: can anyone actually catch Tom Steyer's money machine — and does money even matter here? Steyer has now poured a staggering $115 million of his personal fortune into the race, dwarfing his nearest rivals by a factor of 30. And yet, per a new Emerson College poll, he's trailing both Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco. That's the brutal irony of this cycle: the guy flooding the airwaves can't seem to buy a polling lead. IATSE's endorsement — Hollywood's biggest crew union, drawn in part by Steyer's production-incentive pitch — adds labor credibility, but it's a hard sell when your anti-billionaire message is underwritten by your own billions. Reddit noticed the tension immediately, with one thread pointing out Steyer citing Karl Marx while managing a hedge fund empire. Meanwhile, the candidate with actual momentum right now is Xavier Becerra. The former HHS Secretary was barely registering in the single digits until Eric Swalwell's exit reshuffled the board. Now he's racking up institutional firepower fast — Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas's endorsement is the kind of Sacramento-insider validation that signals the political establishment is starting to coalesce. The SF Chronicle's Joe Garofoli frames Wednesday's debate as a breakthrough opportunity for both Becerra and Kate Porter, each needing a defining moment to cut through Steyer's ad saturation. Porter, once considered a top-tier contender, is clearly struggling to find her footing post-Swalwell. The debate — streaming free on KTLA+ — may be her last best chance to remind California progressives why they were excited about her in the first place. The broader picture: this is a race with no dominant Democrat, two Republicans polling surprisingly well, and a billionaire spending at historic levels without consolidating support. Becerra's surge is real but still early. The next few weeks of polling after this debate will tell us whether this is finally crystallizing — or whether it stays scrambled all the way to the June primary.
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Show notes
The California governor's race hit a genuine inflection point this week, with a debate Wednesday night forcing the question every voter and donor is quietly asking: can anyone actually catch Tom Steyer's money machine — and does money even matter here? Steyer has now poured a staggering $115 million of his personal fortune into the race, dwarfing his nearest rivals by a factor of 30. And yet, per a new Emerson College poll, he's trailing both Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco. That's the brutal irony of this cycle: the guy flooding the airwaves can't seem to buy a polling lead. IATSE's endorsement — Hollywood's biggest crew union, drawn in part by Steyer's production-incentive pitch — adds labor credibility, but it's a hard sell when your anti-billionaire message is underwritten by your own billions. Reddit noticed the tension immediately, with one thread pointing out Steyer citing Karl Marx while managing a hedge fund empire. Meanwhile, the candidate with actual momentum right now is Xavier Becerra. The former HHS Secretary was barely registering in the single digits until Eric Swalwell's exit reshuffled the board. Now he's racking up institutional firepower fast — Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas's endorsement is the kind of Sacramento-insider validation that signals the political establishment is starting to coalesce. The SF Chronicle's Joe Garofoli frames Wednesday's debate as a breakthrough opportunity for both Becerra and Kate Porter, each needing a defining moment to cut through Steyer's ad saturation. Porter, once considered a top-tier contender, is clearly struggling to find her footing post-Swalwell. The debate — streaming free on KTLA+ — may be her last best chance to remind California progressives why they were excited about her in the first place. The broader picture: this is a race with no dominant Democrat, two Republicans polling surprisingly well, and a billionaire spending at historic levels without consolidating support. Becerra's surge is real but still early. The next few weeks of polling after this debate will tell us whether this is finally crystallizing — or whether it stays scrambled all the way to the June primary.
In this episode
- Porter, Becerra seek breakthrough at California governor's race debate — Joe Garofoli
Porter, Becerra seek breakthrough at California governor's race debate San Francisco Chronicle LogoHearst Newspapers Logo Skip to main content [Politics](https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/)// [Joe Garofoli](https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/joegarofoli/) # Porter, Becerra seek breakthrough at debate but will voters finally tune in? ## One campaign is struggling, the other is surging in…
- IATSE Backs Tom Steyer in Race for California Governor ... - Variety — Gene Maddaus
IATSE Backs Tom Steyer in Race for California Governor (EXCLUSIVE) IATSE Backs Tom Steyer in Race for California Governor (EXCLUSIVE) The largest crew union in Hollywood has endorsed [Tom Steyer](https://variety.com/t/tom-steyer/), the hedge fund founder whose anti-corporate rhetoric has attracted labor backing in the race for California governor. In making the announcement, the International…
- Becerra sees momentum, money and movement in the polls in governor's race | News Pub — Press Room
Becerra sees momentum, money and movement in the polls in governor's race | News Pub Connect with us Xavier Becerra, a former Cabinet secretary in President Biden’s administration, appears to be surging in the wildly unsettled California governor’s race. Until recently, the former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary had been mired in the single digits in polling to replace termed-out Gov.…
- California governor’s race remains wide open as Steyer pours $115M into campaign — Bakersfieldnow
# California governor’s race remains wide open as Steyer pours $115M into campaign Published: 2026-04-22T00:17:44+00:00 ## Summary Tom Steyer has poured over $115 million into his campaign for California's governor, largely using his personal wealth to reach voters. This is 30 times the amount of his nearest Democratic rivals, who are spending around $3 million to $10 million. Despite this, a…
- New Xavier Becerra endorsement: Top California lawmaker backs surging Democrat — Kron4
New Xavier Becerra endorsement: Top California lawmaker backs surging Democrat (Inside California Politics) — The top lawmaker in the California Assembly is backing Xavier Becerra for governor, adding to a wave of new support for the surging Democrat. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, announced his endorsement Tuesday in a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOaHpOwxgjQ) shared by…
Notable reactions
- Running for California Governor, Tom Steyer Says Billionaires Like Him ‘Should Pay More Taxes’ — r/California (852 pts, 510 comments)
“One interesting thing I noticed in this article is the fact that he referenced Karl Marx, stating that he disagrees with the Marxist perspective, below is an excerpt: Steyer said during his interview with Sirota that he doesn’t agree with the assertion that billionaires are a…”
- California governor debate set for Wednesday night: How to watch — r/California (139 pts, 23 comments)
“<< The full 90-minute debate, from 7-8:30 p.m. will be available on the free [KTLA+…”
- Progressive Group Founded by Bernie Sanders Endorses Billionaire for California Governor — r/politics (11 pts, 43 comments)
“Progressive Group Founded by Bernie Sanders Endorses Billionaire for California Governor”
- Upcoming AMA: California Gubernatorial Candidate Matt Mahan (Saturday, April 25 at 11 AM PT) — r/California (0 pts, 9 comments)
“[r/California](https://www.reddit.com/r/California) will be hosting an AMA with San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan this Saturday, April 25 at 11:00 AM PT. The AMA is scheduled to run for approximately one hour. This request was coordinated through Reddit’s public policy team, who…”