Sparring on the debate stage, well-timed statements addressing the slightest misstep by an opponent and countless social media jabs: election season is heating up in California’s major primaries.

With the primary election less than three weeks away, the gubernatorial and mayoral races have taken a fiery turn as candidates undergo last-ditch efforts to convince voters of their governance chops.

The governor’s race, which was thrown for a loop after the Democratic frontrunner Eric Swalwell’s bid sank under a groundswell of sexual assault allegations – which he has denied – remains a crowded contest.

Now, the latest polls indicate that Xavier Becerra, the former US secretary of health and human services, is in the lead, followed by Steve Hilton, a Trump-backed conservative media pundit, and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer.

Among the other high-profile governor hopefuls are the Riverside county sheriff, Chad Bianco, former US representative Katie Porter and San Jose mayor, Matt Mahan.

In Los Angeles, the incumbent mayor, Karen Bass, has topped polls, but challenger and former MTV reality-TV star Spencer Pratt has made significant gains as of late. Pratt, who lost his home in the Palisades fire, has made a populist pitch to Angelenos unhappy with Bass’s leadership.

Here’s a look at the lines of attack that have emerged in the final weeks of the campaign.

Former reality-TV star candidate clashes with LA mayor

Pratt has leaned into the firebrand persona he first cemented as a villain on The Hills in the mid-2000s. He’s cast himself as the anti-establishment antidote to the problems ailing the city, repeatedly characterizing Los Angeles as lawless and broken, and rebuking Bass’s efforts to improve homelessness and wildfire recovery.

In a Tuesday post on X, he accused Bass of “paying street ops … to keep addicts high so her NGO friends can continue to profit off their misery and steal their Medicare $$”. He did not provide evidence of the allegations.

Pratt also leveled personal attacks in a recent video where he claimed to be at the homes of Bass and another candidate, Nithya Raman. He insinuated that they enjoyed well-to-do lives, as others, including him, suffered. In the video, Pratt stood in front of a trailer on his charred property in the Palisades saying: “This is where I live.”

That last detail appears to have backfired. TMZ reported he has been staying at a five-star hotel in Bel Air, not in the trailer.

In a conversation with the tabloid, Pratt gave conflicting answers about his residence. “I don’t live at the Hotel Bel-Air. I don’t live in the Airstream [trailer]. I don’t live in Santa Barbara. I don’t have a house. They burned it down,” he said, referring to the city’s political leaders.

But, he also said, in reference to his property: “This is where I live. This is where they burned my house down.”

He added that he had stayed in the hotel due to security concerns.

Becerra denies claims he is linked to former aide’s corruption case

In the governor’s race, Porter suggested, without evidence, that legal trouble may await Becerra, the former US secretary of health and human services. His former adviser, Dana Williamson, pleaded guilty on Thursday to corruption and fraud charges after federal authorities say she helped skim $225,000 from an inactive campaign account to divert the funds to another top Becerra staffer.

Porter voiced concern about the uncertainty and risks of nominating Becerra, given the investigation.

Becerra has denied any criminal wrongdoing. Still, the claims have picked up traction after Williamson’s court admission.

In the last gubernatorial debate on Thursday before the 2 June primary, both Hilton and Porter took aim at Becerra. “You shouldn’t be in this race. You should be preparing your criminal defense,” Hilton said.

“Democrats cannot afford to wake up on June 3 and discover we’ve got a criminal on our hands,” Steyer had said in a Thursday statement.

Becerra countered: “The US attorney has said no candidate, including me, running for governor has been implicated in this case.”

Steyer has also pressed Becerra over a recent local news appearance, saying his opponent was unwilling to answer tough questions. The former representative had gone viral for asking a KTLA reporter: “This is not a gotcha piece, right?”

After the incident, Bianco suggested on X that Becerra was hiding something: “The media has given [him] a free pass for so long, but he’s got enough skeletons he’s still afraid.”

Skepticism swirls around the pro-working-class billionaire

Steyer continues to play defense, fending off his critics in the race who question how a billionaire could relate to the cost-of-living crisis. His largely self-funded campaign has spent roughly $132m. Still, as the bio of Steyer’s campaign account on X says, he views himself to be a “class traitor” of sorts.

His critics aren’t buying it.

Porter described him as “a billionaire who got rich off polluters and ICE prisons and is now using that money to fund this election”, at an April debate, referring to Steyer’s previous investments.

Becerra also recently posted a video, alluding to how much Steyer has spent on advertising. Against a green vista, a call-to-action appeared: “You have the power to put an end to the Tom Steyer ads.”

Steve Hilton’s taco gaffe

The leading Republican in the race, who has been endorsed by Trump, caught fierce online blowback for saying he got a “street taco” from the Del Taco fast-food chain.

Bianco and the former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa both seized the opportunity to film videos eating soft tortilla tacos, more consistent with street tacos from an authentic local taqueria.

Bianco, for his part, took a thinly veiled shot at Hilton’s British origins, saying he was eating tacos in honor of Hilton’s fifth anniversary of becoming a US citizen.