USC cancels gubernatorial debate amid mounting criticism

Key Points:

• USC canceled its planned Tuesday gubernatorial debate less than 24 hours before the event due to widespread criticism over excluding prominent candidates of color from participation, despite defending its selection methodology.
• The university acknowledged the controversy had become a distraction from voter issues and, after failing to reach an agreement with co-sponsor KABC-TV to expand the candidate field, decided to cancel the debate and seek other voter education opportunities.
• Four notable Democratic candidates of color—Xavier Becerra, Antonio Villaraigosa, Tony Thurmond, and Betty Yee—were excluded based on a fundraising-based formula, leading to calls for a boycott and political pressure from Democratic leaders.
• Democrat Tom Steyer announced plans to organize an alternative event including all major candidates, while criticism of USC's selection process intensified amid concerns about fairness and potential bias favoring candidates with ties to USC donors.
• USC defended the methodology developed by political science professor Christian Grose, supported by academic peers, but political and public backlash highlighted tensions between scholarly debate criteria and political realities in a highly competitive gubernatorial race.