Becerra Faces Fire as California Governor Debate Goes National

CNN’s two-hour Monterey Park debate pitted seven California governor hopefuls—five Democrats and two Republicans—against each other on issues from housing and living costs to immigration and health care. Xavier Becerra, riding a poll uptick after recent turmoil, absorbed sharp attacks from Tom Steyer and rival Antonio Villaraigosa, while defending his stance amid a single-payer health-care debate. Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco argued Democratic policy failures have hurt the state. With the field converging and demographics favoring Democrats, observers say the eventual winner is likely to be the Democratic nominee in a race that remains closely watched nationwide.