Heated exchanges marked the final California gubernatorial debate before the primary, as the seven major candidates seized one last chance to win over voters Thursday night in San Francisco.

With ballots already in voters’ hands and a cloud hanging over the front-runner, Thursday’s debate was less a policy forum than a political street fight — and every candidate came ready to throw punches.

Though 2% of ballots have already been returned for the June 2 primary, that still leaves most of the electorate up for grabs. The top two candidates will advance to the November general election.

According to the (opens in new tab)latest David Binder Research survey, (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)Republican former Fox News contributor Steve Hilton, leads the crowded pack, with 23% support, while former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is the highest-polling Democrat, at 22%. Billionaire and climate activist Tom Steyer is at 15%, Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at 13%, and former Rep. Katie Porter at 12%.

Hosted by CBS and the San Francisco Examiner, the event was held at the ornate, historic Julia Morgan Ballroom downtown. Here are five takeaways:

With the most impressive political résumé in the field — former congressman, former California attorney general, and Biden Cabinet member — Becerra entered the race near the bottom of the field but emerged as the front-runner after former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race following allegations of sexual misconduct. That also made him the night’s biggest target.

Candidates hammered Becerra over both his record in the Biden administration and the latest scandal involving one of his top aides, who pleaded guilty to stealing funds from a dormant campaign account. Becerra has not been charged and is considered a victim in the case, but rivals clearly smelled blood, and lost no opportunity to try to link him to potential involvement in the crime.

Republican front-runner Hilton led the charge, as he has in previous debates, saying, “I like you personally, Xavier, but you shouldn’t be on this stage. You shouldn’t be in this race. You should be preparing your criminal defense.”

Becerra replied, “With friends like that. Who needs enemies, right? “

Known more for his steady, low-drama personality than fiery rhetoric, Becerra mostly brushed off the attacks.

“I was not involved in the wrongdoing,” he said on stage. “I had nothing to do with that.”

Conservative commentator Hilton, boosted by an endorsement from President Donald Trump and a fractured Democratic field, is increasingly acting like a candidate who believes he can be the top vote-getter in the primary.

And on stage, he carried himself that way.

When Becerra complained that everyone was attacking him because he was the leading candidate, Hilton quickly interrupted: “I think you’ll find I’m leading in the polls.”

Throughout the debate, Hilton repeatedly went after Democrats, interrupted opponents, and lost no opportunity to hammer Democrats for their record in the governor’s office over the last 16 years. “This state is desperate for change. We cannot have another four years of one-party rule... I’m the only choice for change. This state needs new management.’

Beyond the usual fights over housing and education, the debate devoted significant time to climate change (a change from some of the previous debates) and a welcome development for Steyer, whose campaign has heavily focused on climate issues.

At one point, he even interrupted moderators to make sure he got a chance to answer a climate question.

The discussion also showed a clear partisan divide: Democrats largely framed aggressive climate action as non-negotiable, while Republicans leaned into a more skeptical, pragmatic tone. Bianco said he believes climate change is real but scoffed at warnings about rising oceans flooding California.

“We’ve been threatened since I was a little kid, of being in an ice age, of California being non-existent because oceans were going to rise. It’s not going to happen,” Bianco said.

Steyer used the topic to try to burnish his credentials as a climate warrior while also trying to land a hit on Becerra saying, “And let me say this, Xavier has been taking money from these big oil companies. He’s been saying we need them. He’s been voting for drilling more in California. That is the exact wrong thing to do.” 

Matt Mahan, backed by big money from Silicon Valley but still stuck below double digits in most polls, looked determined to fight with anything he could in this final debate.

He came out hard in his opening remarks, pitching himself as the candidate of change while attacking nearly everyone else on stage: Steyer for “higher taxes and bigger government,” Hilton as a “Fox News talking head,” and Becerra as the embodiment of the status quo.

He had some other aggressive lines on the night against his two biggest Democrat opponents. “[Steyer’s] structural change sounds to me more like socialism. His plans literally would double the size of the state government.” And a subtle dig at Becerra, “We don’t need career politicians who’ve never met a crisis that they couldn’t ignore.”

Mahan also repeatedly touted his record in San Jose, especially on housing and education. By the end of the night, “San Jose” may have gotten almost as much airtime as the candidates themselves. 

Did you know he was the Mayor of … San Jose?

Porter was one of the night’s standout performers, mixing sharp attacks with comic timing.

The only woman on stage, Porter repeatedly grabbed attention: pressing Becerra over the corruption scandal, raising her hands and even handwritten notes. She also looked exasperated at times at the squabbling men, and frequently sported a frown as her opponents’ exchanges went on. And on. At one point, as the debate exchanges bypassed her, she leaned on the lectern, waiting for the bickering to stop.

It didn’t. 

Ironically, Porter may have suffered from not being attacked more often. Under debate rules, candidates got extra response time when directly targeted, meaning she missed out on some of the back-and-forth airtime others enjoyed.

Still, she drew some of the biggest laughs of the night.

“I’m in this race for three reasons, and their names are Luke, Paul, and Betsy,” Porter said in the closing remarks. “They are my three teenagers. God help me.”

And when asked which candidate she would support if she didn’t make it out of the primary, she made a pointed remark, “I would vote for any one of the Democratic dudes.”