Steyer Takes Fire at CA Gov Debate as Race Gets Crowded and Costly
Friday, April 24, 2026 · 9 min
The California governor's race is heating up fast, and Wednesday's debate made clear that Tom Steyer is now the target everyone's aiming at. Rivals trained their attacks on the billionaire's hedge fund past — specifically investments in private prisons and oil — while Attorney General Xavier Becerra also took some heat over his mixed record on police accountability. The debate dynamic is telling: when candidates start throwing punches at you, it usually means you're leading or at least threatening to. But Steyer's bigger problem might be outside the debate hall. PG&E just launched a $10 million PAC specifically to take him out — a move that's generating serious buzz online and underscores how much the utility giant fears a Steyer governorship. Ironically, the corporate attack ad money could end up being a gift to Steyer, reinforcing his outsider-versus-entrenched-interests narrative. Meanwhile, Katie Porter picked up a notable endorsement from Congressman Robert Garcia, a signal that she's consolidating some of the progressive-but-institutionalist lane. Becerra's camp is claiming momentum and movement in the polls, though he'll need to answer persistent questions about his law enforcement record as the race tightens. On the Republican side, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco continued to raise eyebrows — this week dodging a direct question about whether he'd seize California primary ballots, which is exactly the kind of moment that plays well in a GOP primary and terribly everywhere else. Add to the mix Christine Sarmiento, a Filipino American public health nurse running as an independent on an affordability-and-accountability platform, and the field keeps growing. Independent candidates rarely break through in California statewide races, but her entry signals the breadth of voter dissatisfaction. The race is still wide open, but the next few weeks of fundraising disclosures and polling will tell us whether Steyer's money advantage can survive both debate-stage attacks and a well-funded utility behemoth coming for him.
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Show notes
The California governor's race is heating up fast, and Wednesday's debate made clear that Tom Steyer is now the target everyone's aiming at. Rivals trained their attacks on the billionaire's hedge fund past — specifically investments in private prisons and oil — while Attorney General Xavier Becerra also took some heat over his mixed record on police accountability. The debate dynamic is telling: when candidates start throwing punches at you, it usually means you're leading or at least threatening to. But Steyer's bigger problem might be outside the debate hall. PG&E just launched a $10 million PAC specifically to take him out — a move that's generating serious buzz online and underscores how much the utility giant fears a Steyer governorship. Ironically, the corporate attack ad money could end up being a gift to Steyer, reinforcing his outsider-versus-entrenched-interests narrative. Meanwhile, Katie Porter picked up a notable endorsement from Congressman Robert Garcia, a signal that she's consolidating some of the progressive-but-institutionalist lane. Becerra's camp is claiming momentum and movement in the polls, though he'll need to answer persistent questions about his law enforcement record as the race tightens. On the Republican side, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco continued to raise eyebrows — this week dodging a direct question about whether he'd seize California primary ballots, which is exactly the kind of moment that plays well in a GOP primary and terribly everywhere else. Add to the mix Christine Sarmiento, a Filipino American public health nurse running as an independent on an affordability-and-accountability platform, and the field keeps growing. Independent candidates rarely break through in California statewide races, but her entry signals the breadth of voter dissatisfaction. The race is still wide open, but the next few weeks of fundraising disclosures and polling will tell us whether Steyer's money advantage can survive both debate-stage attacks and a well-funded utility behemoth coming for him.
In this episode
- Rivals Target Steyer, Becerra in Debate As California Governor Race Tightens — Kqed
# Rivals Target Steyer, Becerra in Debate As California Governor Race Tightens | KQED Published: 2026-04-22T22:06:33-07:00 ## Summary Rival Democrats in the California Governor race focused more on their own platforms than criticizing each other during a debate, largely on billionaire Tom Steyer's wealth and investments made in private prisons and the oil industry as a hedge fund manager.…
- Fil-Am nurse launches bid for California governor — nrueda
# Fil-Am nurse launches bid for California governor Published: 2026-04-23T19:34:52-07:00 Author: nrueda ## Summary Christine Sarmiento, a Filipino American public health nurse and operations manager, has entered the race for governor of California. She is running as an independent candidate, focusing on affordability, accountability and community health. Born and raised in poverty in Cavite,…
Notable reactions
- PG&E launches $10 million PAC to take out gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer — r/California (3033 pts, 687 comments)
“PG&E launches $10 million PAC to take out gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer”
- CONGRESSMAN ROBERT GARCIA ENDORSES KATIE PORTER FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR | Katie Porter for Governor — r/California (185 pts, 137 comments)
“CONGRESSMAN ROBERT GARCIA ENDORSES KATIE PORTER FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR | Katie Porter for Governor”
- Can progressives trust California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to police the police? — r/California (433 pts, 546 comments)
“"California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has crafted an image as a progressive warrior. But there’s one exception: police accountability." It's an older article but still relevant since Becerra has become a frontrunner for governor of California.”
- Becerra sees momentum, money and movement in the polls in governor’s race — r/politics (9 pts, 14 comments)
“Becerra sees momentum, money and movement in the polls in governor’s race”
- Republican Sheriff Dodges Question About Whether He Would Seize California Primary Ballots - Yahoo News Canada — X
“Republican Sheriff Dodges Question About Whether He Would Seize California Primary Ballots - Yahoo News Canada Advertisement Advertisement ## Like this article? Keep independent journalism alive. Support HuffPost. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, one of two Republican…”