Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton clash in CNN debate on economy, AI, and ICE raids in California governor’s race

It was the first face-to-face between the two men vying to govern California, the most populous state in the United States, with more than 39 million residents, just over a month before the midterm elections. Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra arrived at the CNN-organized debate with a twofold mission: lay out their proposals to lead what is considered the fourth-largest economy in the world and, at the same time, attack their opponent and explain to voters why they should not trust the other with their vote on November 3. Neither missed the chance to present their ideas on the state’s difficult economic situation, fears around artificial intelligence, and the ICE raids that threaten undocumented immigrants.

Becerra repeatedly linked Hilton to the policies of President Donald Trump, which the Democrat considers failures and that are highly unpopular with voters, according to numerous polls. Hilton, for his part, criticized his rival for being part of the Democratic apparatus that, in his view, has taken California in the wrong direction.

Trump looms large in the contest. He has backed Hilton in a state that has been reliably blue since 2011, and a network of donors sympathetic to the president continues to pour resources into his campaign. But the Republican candidate has fallen behind in the polls. One of the most recent surveys, from the University of California, Berkeley, shows Becerra widening his lead, with 58% of voters supporting him versus 33% who said they would lean toward Hilton. California is considered a Democratic stronghold.

The debate lasted an hour and was held at the Los Angeles studios of CNN, a network that Trump and his supporters often accuse, without presenting evidence, of spreading false information to undermine the administration. Hilton’s participation was striking amid an open confrontation between Trump and CNN: last week the president barred the network’s reporters, as well as those from MS NOW and Politico, from the White House. A judge ordered days later that their press credentials be restored and the ban temporarily suspended.

California’s difficult economy

It is no secret that the complicated economic situation has put everyday Californians under pressure, who feel the pinch when paying high food prices every time they visit the grocery store. So it was not surprising that the first debate question focused on lowering the cost of living, starting from two of Hilton’s proposals: eliminating the state income tax and reducing the gasoline-related tax. “That’s wrong, it will only harm the state more,” Becerra replied immediately. The Democrat has a 35-year political career spanning Congress, the state attorney general’s office, and the federal Health Department.

Becerra tried to tie his opponent to some of Trump’s policies. “Steve is trying to convince the people of California that proposing Trump tax policies, promising Trump tax cuts” is the right path, Becerra said, criticizing the Republican candidate’s proposal for a 40% tax cut for millionaires, “the largest in California history.”

“Isn’t it the definition of insanity? You do the same thing over and over again, expecting different results,” Becerra added. Hilton was quick to finish the line: “Like voting for the Democrats.”

The Republican, an English immigrant, businessman, and former Fox News political commentator, has said his main goal is to “bring back the California dream,” something he says can be achieved through incentives to prevent companies, jobs, and families from leaving the state, the most expensive in the U.S.

Three figures illustrate the crisis the state faces: the median home price is around $750,000; a gallon of gasoline sold Wednesday for $6.39, 44% above the national average, according to AAA; and a family now needs an annual income of over $300,000 to live comfortably, according to a new analysis by SmartAsset.

Hilton blames Democratic leaders, including Becerra, for steering the state toward this financial deterioration alongside high taxes, and argues that Trump’s support will set it on a path to a better future. He says his plan outlines “simple” initiatives to reclaim an aspiration that now seems distant, such as homeownership.

Becerra, by contrast, attributes the economic problems to the Republican president in Washington: he says fuel prices have surged because of the war Trump launched alongside Israel against Iran and accuses him of failing to take measures to contain inflation that, he argues, is linked to his tariff policies against other countries.

In the University of California, Berkeley poll, about 44% of respondents said their top concern was “reducing the cost of living.”

One of California’s fears is continuing to lose one of the industries that forged its power: the film industry. Both candidates promised during Wednesday’s debate to support the sector through tax incentives.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence was another issue expected to feature in the debate, especially after incidents surfaced in recent weeks in which AI agents acted autonomously and interfered with U.S. government websites. This comes as leaders of some of the biggest tech companies warn about the risks of moving too quickly in developing these models. One of the main fears is that multiple AI systems could coordinate to breach systems at government agencies, companies, and educational institutions. California is home to most of the companies developing this technology, including OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, NVIDIA, Google, and Meta. For that reason, during the debate candidates were asked whether, as Trump asserts, these companies should self-regulate.

Hilton said AI companies “may require regulation and legislation.” He also called for an “immediate pause” on the use of the technology in classrooms. “We lead this industry and I believe we should also lead its regulation,” the Republican emphasized, breaking with the White House line.

Becerra, for his part, pledged to work with local communities to set limits and regulations on AI data centers and determine whether they truly benefit those communities. “If all you’re going to do is rob their energy, electricity, and their water, that’s not a good deal,” he said. He added that he would support the installation of data centers if they create more jobs in communities, feed energy into the grid, and help protect and increase water supply capacity.

When Becerra questioned what he considers Trump’s lax stance on AI risks, Hilton asked him twice about donations his campaign had received from those companies: “How much money did you take from OpenAI and Anthropic?” Becerra did not answer directly, but recalled that as California’s attorney general he sued Meta, Amazon, and Google, as evidence of his commitment to set limits on big tech. He concluded: “And I will keep doing that as governor.”

ICE raids

Perhaps on no other issue were Becerra and Hilton so far apart as on immigration. CNN hosts asked whether they would seek to roll back a California sanctuary policy that limits local police cooperation with agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Los Angeles was, in fact, one of the first cities to face ICE and Border Patrol operations during the summer of 2025. Since then, arrests have intensified across the country, surpassing one million.

“I would follow the law and, in fact, my goal here would be to lower the temperature on this whole question,” said Hilton, who moved to California in 2012. “I’m an immigrant. My parents were immigrants, from Hungary to England, so I want to make sure that we protect our legal immigrants,” he added.

If he becomes governor, Hilton said his plan would be to “protect legal communities,” beef up border security and “prioritize the deportation of dangerous criminals.”

Becerra, the son of Mexican immigrants, spoke in favor of immigration reform and accused his rival of supporting the arrival of migrants “who look like you,” referring to his European background, while rejecting those “who look like me,” the Democrat said.

This issue is of great interest to Latino voters, an electoral force of enormous weight for anyone seeking to govern California. According to a new Pew Research Center study, the state has 8.7 million voters of Hispanic origin, more than any other state in the country. They are the second-largest voter group. Becerra constantly courts Latino voters: he speaks Spanish and promises an offensive against immigration raids. It is his strategy to connect with an electorate that in recent months has shown its discontent with Trump. For Hilton, by contrast, his closeness to Trump, as well as his support for ICE raids and other administration immigration policies, makes this a harder path.

The millionaire tax

Becerra and Hilton were also asked about Proposition 40, a ballot initiative that would impose a one-time, 5% tax on people with a net worth above $1 billion. Potentially affected individuals include Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Meta; Jensen Huang, chairman and cofounder of Nvidia; and Larry Page and Sergey Brin, cofounders of Google. Supporters estimate the measure could raise about $100 billion to fund health services, food assistance, and education programs.

On this question, both oppose the proposal, though for different reasons. Becerra says it “is not the right way to craft tax policy,” while acknowledging that the more than 200 billionaires living in California “are not paying their fair share.” In his view, “What you don’t do is you don’t have a policy where it’s a one time tax and it isn’t predictable and sustainable. We need to have policy that everyone sees is fair and that sustains us going forward.”

Hilton, meanwhile, said his opposition is based on fear that the measure would trigger an exodus of tax revenue. “The priority has to be working people, not just making sure we don’t drive the jobs out, but actually we create jobs and that we reduce taxes for people who are struggling,” he said.

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