Becerra takes the heat

Key Points:

• Democratic frontrunner Xavier Becerra faced unified attacks from six gubernatorial rivals during the final debate before California’s June 2 primary, with critics targeting his ethics, campaign funding, and the recent guilty plea of his former strategist for campaign fraud.
• Becerra defended himself by emphasizing a prosecutor's statement that no candidate has been implicated in the fraud case and highlighted his policy ideas, including restricting corporate tax credits, mirroring Governor Newsom’s budget proposals.
• San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan positioned himself as a moderate alternative to both Becerra and Republican frontrunner Steve Hilton, distancing himself from MAGA politics while criticizing Hilton’s ties to Trump and Fox News.
• Candidates from both parties, except Hilton, supported stricter regulations on AI chatbots interacting with children, with Hilton expressing concerns about overregulation and the complexity of the issue.
• Republican candidates Hilton and Chad Bianco showed signs of mutual support, aiming to secure the top two spots in the primary to potentially shut Democrats out of the November general election in heavily Democratic California.