2026-04-29T22:39:52-0400 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
加州州长选举的初选仅余一个多月，竞选仍处于胶着状态。本周举行的一场州长辩论中，六名民主党人就州未来提出了截然不同的观点——民调显示他们中的大多数人支持率不相上下，而两名共和党人则为进入大选 ballot 的席位展开较量。
哥伦比亚广播公司新闻周二晚间的加州州长辩论吸引了迄今为止最多的参选人。参选阵容包括进步派民主党候选人汤姆·斯泰尔和凯蒂·波特，他们与更温和的参选者哈维尔·贝塞拉、马特·马汉，以及安东尼奥·维拉莱戈萨和托尼·瑟蒙德同台角逐。
近期针对这个深蓝州的哥伦比亚广播公司新闻民调显示，共和党候选人、获特朗普背书的史蒂夫·希尔顿是支持率最高的参选者， fellow 共和党候选人查德·比安科紧随其后，落后几个百分点。但希尔顿与第二名斯泰尔的差距仅为一个百分点，且四分之一的选民尚未做出决定，竞选局势仍不明朗。
参选人就加州选民关注的热点议题——医疗保健、保险、教育、无家可归问题和移民——接受了哥伦比亚广播公司新闻民调相关的提问。民生负担问题贯穿所有议题，参选人纷纷提出应对加州人日常面临的高生活成本的解决方案。
由于这场辩论有民主党和共和党参选人同台，舞台上最清晰的分歧在于共和党人将加州高生活成本归咎于多年的民主党领导，以及进步派参选人将自己定位为变革推动者。
曾在前总统乔·拜登政府中担任卫生与公众服务部长的贝塞拉，在前众议员埃里克·斯瓦尔韦尔退选后，在民调中取得了一定进展。他宣扬自己的联邦政府工作经验和温和派身份资质。
贝塞拉吸引温和派，却遭其他候选人抨击
贝塞拉作为势头最猛的参选人走上波莫纳学院的辩论舞台，也因此成为台上对手攻击最多的人。
同为温和派的斯瓦尔韦尔因遭到其否认的性侵指控退出竞选后，贝塞拉在哥伦比亚广播公司新闻和爱默生学院的民调中支持率升至两位数。
共和党和民主党同僚都注意到了贝塞拉的崛起，但在最新的哥伦比亚广播公司新闻民调中，他仍略落后于前福克斯新闻主持人希尔顿和亿万富翁斯泰尔。
圣何塞市长马汉同样以温和派身份参选，就具体政策向贝塞拉发起挑战。他抨击贝塞拉提出的住宅保险费率冻结计划，称“哈维尔的计划行不通”。
前奥兰治县国会众议员波特指责贝塞拉的“美好计划”缺乏具体数据支撑。
但当贝塞拉被问及如何应对加州即将到期的医疗补贴时，他将问题转化为当晚对共和党领跑者最令人难忘的抨击。
“我们要做的第一件事，就是阻止史蒂夫·希尔顿的老爹，”贝塞拉说道，此处暗指特朗普对希尔顿的背书。这位前加州总检察长表示，加州需要“一个会对抗唐纳德·特朗普，而非认同他的人”。
凯蒂·波特力求凸显自身差异
这位前国会众议员在周二晚间的辩论后对哥伦比亚广播公司新闻表示，她对自己在其他参选人交叠发言中的表现感到满意。
“我认为我很好地阐述了我与其他参选人之间的不同之处，”波特说，“有时候场面有点像我家孩子们在餐桌上吵来吵去。”
作为顶级参选候选人中唯一的女性，波特强调了自己作为母亲的视角，并承认选民对生活成本上涨的担忧。
“我是三个十几岁孩子的单身母亲。我担心我的孩子永远没法离开我家，拥有自己的房子。我关心育儿成本，因为我自己付过账单，也给我的迷你货车加过油，”波特说道。
尽管在2025年9月的首次爱默生民调中表现亮眼，但波特的支持率一直在稳步下滑。她还因一段曝光视频遭到批评，视频中她对前员工大吼大叫，以及与哥伦比亚广播公司新闻加州分社记者朱莉·沃茨的紧张采访——后者也是周二辩论的主持人之一。
和斯泰尔一样，波特在多个议题上秉持进步派立场，倡导单一支付者医疗体系。
斯泰尔称自己是“变革推动者”，其他候选人批评其亿万富翁身份
前总统候选人斯泰尔称自己是这场竞选中唯一的“变革推动者”，也是唯一愿意与特殊利益集团对抗的人。
“加州的问题在于：人们再也负担不起在这里生活，买不起房子，也得不到应有的教育。要改变这一现状，我们必须对抗那些推高生活成本、从你们身上牟利的企业特殊利益集团。我就是愿意这么做的人，”斯泰尔在周二晚间说道。
作为一名进步派激进分子，斯泰尔的背景非同寻常：《福布斯》估计他的身家达24亿美元。他通过经营对冲基金积累财富，之后转向环保 activism，并成为民主党大额捐赠人。
其他候选人针对他的背景发起攻击。有一次，斯泰尔抨击加州的石油公司造成污染，波特质疑他的对冲基金此前为何也投资过同类化石燃料公司。他此前已承认这些投资，并将其描述为“错误”。
斯泰尔获得了“我们的革命”的背书，这是伯尼·桑德斯创立的政治组织，致力于选举进步派人士并“对抗寡头议程”。该组织称赞斯泰尔“挑战了原本对他这类人有利的体系”。
说到亿万富翁：这场竞选中最具争议也最复杂的议题，是一项拟对亿万富翁资产一次性征收5%税的提案，该提案将于11月作为全民公投提交加州选民。哥伦比亚广播公司新闻的民调显示，大多数加州选民希望下一任州长支持对亿万富翁征收额外州税，而共和党人则反对。
两名共和党候选人都不支持该提案，但也并非所有民主党候选人都持支持态度。贝塞拉、波特和维拉莱戈萨告诉《政客》杂志，他们反对这项税收，马汉在一篇专栏文章中表示，对亿万富翁征税会“摧毁该州的创新引擎”。斯泰尔表示总体上支持对亿万富翁加税，但对该税收的设计表示担忧。瑟蒙德则明确表态支持该提案。
州长加文·纽森也不支持这项提案——他表示，如果该提案导致最富有的居民迁出，可能会损害加州的经济和预算。这项提案是由服务业雇员国际工会西部分会提出的。
共和党人抨击州民主党领导层
参选的两名共和党人——希尔顿和比安科——将加州严重的民生负担问题归咎于该州压倒性的民主党领导。
“加州之所以陷入困境，是因为萨克拉门托发生的一切，是因为彻底失败的民主党进步议程正在摧毁加州，”河滨县警长比安科在周二说道。
比安科的言论呼应了近期哥伦比亚广播公司新闻民调中表达的共和党观点，该民调发现该州的共和党人认为局势不妙。他们还认为，在民主党人的管理下，加州的经济不仅糟糕，而且比全国整体情况更差。
比安科和前福克斯新闻主持人希尔顿都承诺将削减加州的税收，包括取消目前全美最高的州汽油税。包括贝塞拉、波特和斯泰尔在内的民主党人表示，如果当选，他们不会取消汽油税。
选民在6月初选前大多尚未做出决定
由于加州采用无党派“丛林”初选制度，6月2日的初选中得票最多的两名候选人将进入11月的大选，无论其党派归属。
由于民主党参选阵营分歧严重，一些民主党人担心，如果在6月2日初选前参选人数不减少，他们的政党可能会被排除在大选之外。
最新的哥伦比亚广播公司新闻民调显示，竞选仍处于胶着状态。支持率最高的两名候选人——希尔顿和斯泰尔——支持率在15%左右，其他大多数候选人紧随其后。目前，尚未做出决定的选民人数超过了任何一位单一候选人的支持者人数。
In California’s crowded gubernatorial debate, Democrats go on offense while Republicans lay blame on incumbents
2026-04-29T22:39:52-0400 / CBS News
The primary election in California’s gubernatorial contest is just over a month away, and the race remains wide open. At a gubernatorial debate this week, a half-dozen Democrats offered divergent views on the state’s future — most of whom are within striking distance of each other in the polls — while two Republicans battled for space on the general election ballot.
CBS News’ California governor’s debate Tuesday night featured the largest number of participants to date. The field includes progressive Democratic candidates Tom Steyer and Katie Porter competing against more moderate contenders Xavier Becerra and Matt Mahan, as well as Antonio Villaraigosa and Tony Thurmond.
The top-performing candidate in a recent CBS News poll of the deep-blue state is a Republican — Trump-endorsed Steve Hilton — with fellow GOP contender Chad Bianco trailing a few points behind. But the distance between Hilton and second-place Steyer is just one percentage point, and one-fourth of voters are undecided, leaving the race unsettled.
Candidates fielded questions from new CBS News polling on issues that resonate with California voters — healthcare, insurance, education, homelessness and immigration. Affordability permeated every topic, as candidates offered their solutions to the high costs Californians reckon with daily.
Since this debate featured both Democrats and Republicans, the clearest divide on stage was between Republicans, who blamed years of Democratic leadership for the state’s high costs, and more progressive candidates who pitched themselves as change agents.
Becerra, who served as health and human services secretary under former President Joe Biden, has made some inroads in the polls following former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s departure from the race. He touted his experience in the federal government and credentials as a moderate.
Becerra appeals to moderates — and faces jabs from other candidates
Becerra walked onto the Pomona College stage as the candidate with the most momentum, and therefore was the one most under attack by his opponents on the stage.
Since Swalwell, also a moderate, exited the race amid sexual assault allegations that he has denied, Becerra has risen into double digits in CBS News and Emerson College polling.
Both Republicans and fellow Democrats noticed Becerra’s rise, though he’s still slightly trailing former Fox News host Hilton and billionaire Steyer in the most recent CBS News poll.
Mahan, the San Jose mayor who is also running in the moderate lane, challenged Becerra on policy specifics. He attacked Becerra’s proposal for a home insurance rate freeze, saying, “Xavier’s plan won’t work.”
Porter, a former Orange County-area congresswoman, jabbed at Becerra for his “lovely plans” — with no numbers attached to them.
But when Becerra was asked how he’d respond to expiring healthcare subsidies for Californians, he turned the question into the night’s most memorable jab at the GOP frontrunner.
“The first thing we have to do is stop Steve Hilton’s daddy,” Becerra said, referring to President Trump’s endorsement of Hilton. The former California attorney general said that his state needs “someone who’s going to fight Donald Trump, not agree with him.”
Katie Porter works to distinguish herself
The former congresswoman told CBS News after Tuesday night’s debate that she was happy with her performance amid the crosstalk from other participating candidates.
“I thought I had a good chance to make some points of differentiation between me and the other candidates,” Porter said. “It was at times — reminded me of my kids a little bit at the dinner table, going bickering back and forth.”
As the only woman among the race’s top-performing candidates, Porter leaned into her perspective as a mother and acknowledged voters’ concerns about the rising cost of living.
“I’m a single mom of three teenagers. I worry that that one kid is never going to get off my couch and get into a home. I’m somebody who’s concerned about child care, because I’ve paid the bills and I’ve gassed up my minivan,” Porter said.
Despite a strong debut in initial Emerson polling back in September 2025, Porter’s numbers have been steadily declining. She also faced backlash over an unearthed video that showed her yelling at a former staffer, as well as a tense interview with CBS News California’s Julie Watts, who was also one of Tuesday’s debate moderators.
Much like Steyer, Porter has embraced progressive stances on various issues, advocating for single-payer healthcare.
Steyer argues he’s a “change agent” as other candidates criticize his billionaire status
Steyer, a former presidential candidate, called himself the only “change agent” in the race and the only person who will take on special interest groups.
“The problem in California is: People can’t afford to live here anymore, can’t afford to buy a house and aren’t getting the education they deserve. And in order to change that, we’re going to have to take on the corporate special interests that are driving up your costs and profiting off you. I am the person who is willing to do that,” Steyer said Tuesday night.
Steyer has an unusual background for a progressive firebrand: Forbes estimates that he’s worth $2.4 billion. He made his fortune running a hedge fund, before turning his attention to environmental activism and serving as a Democratic megadonor.
Other candidates took aim at him over that background. At one point, while Steyer was disparaging oil companies in California for pollution, Porter questioned why his hedge fund had previously invested in the same kinds of fossil fuel companies. He has acknowledged the investments in the past and characterized those investments as “mistakes.”
Steyer has been endorsed by Our Revolution, the Bernie Sanders-founded political organization dedicated to electing progressives and “fighting the oligarch agenda.” The organization has praised Steyer’s efforts to “challenge the very system that benefits people like him.”
Speaking of billionaires: The single most divisive and complex issue in the race is a proposed one-time 5% tax on billionaires’ assets, which will be put to California voters as a ballot initiative in November. CBS News’ polling finds a majority of California voters want the next governor to support an added state tax on billionaires, while Republicans do not.
Neither Republican candidate backs the idea — but not all of the Democratic candidates do, either. Becerra, Porter and Villaraigosa told Politico they oppose the tax, and Mahan said a billionaire tax would “crash [the state’s] innovation engine” in an op-ed. Steyer has said he supports higher taxes on billionaires in general but expressed concerns about how the tax is designed. Thurmond has come out in support of the measure.
And Gov. Gavin Newsom is not a supporter — he has said he thinks it could hurt the state’s economy and budget if it drives its wealthiest residents to relocate. The tax was proposed by the Service Employees International Healthcare Workers Union West.
Republican anger at Democratic leadership in the state
The two Republicans in the race — Hilton and Bianco — blamed California’s overwhelmingly Democratic leadership for the state’s dire affordability problems.
“California is broken because of what has been happening in Sacramento, because of an absolute failed Democrat, progressive agenda that is destroying California,” Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, said Tuesday.
Bianco’s comments echoed Republican sentiments expressed in recent CBS News polling, which found that Republicans in the state say things aren’t going well. They also believe the economy, under the stewardship of Democrats, is not just bad, but is worse than the nation’s.
Both Bianco and Hilton, a former Fox News host, pledged to cut taxes in the state, including getting rid of the state’s gas tax, which is currently the highest in the nation. Democrats including Becerra, Porter and Steyer said that they would not get rid of the gas tax if elected.
Voters largely undecided ahead of early June primary
Since California has a nonpartisan “jungle” primary system, the two candidates who receive the most votes on June 2 will head to the November general election, regardless of party.
With the Democratic field deeply divided, some Democrats worry that their party could get locked out of the general election if the field doesn’t narrow before the June 2 primary.
The latest CBS News polling shows the race remains wide open. The two highest-polling candidates — Hilton and Steyer — are in the mid-teens, with most of the other candidates close behind. Right now, undecided voters outnumber supporters of any single candidate in the race.