Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Trump weren’t at the debate for California governor on Wednesday night, but they were repeatedly invoked by the two actual candidates as proxies for the choice that voters will make in November.
Xavier Becerra, the Democratic front-runner, often tried to cast his Republican opponent, Steve Hilton, as a stand-in for Mr. Trump during the hourlong event on CNN. Mr. Hilton, a former Fox talk show host, told voters that Mr. Becerra represented more of the same that they were getting from Mr. Newsom and Democratic lawmakers.
Unlike the chaotic open primary debates this spring, which featured stages crowded with candidates for governor who could barely get a word in edgewise, the face-off on Wednesday in CNN’s studio in Burbank, Calif., was a head-to-head clash that offered a clear contrast in philosophies.
It was the only scheduled fall debate between Mr. Becerra and Mr. Hilton, and the moderators Dana Bash and Jake Tapper rattled through about a dozen topics, from education to health care. In California, a heavily Democratic state, Mr. Becerra has enjoyed a sizable lead in every major poll this cycle, and it was up to Mr. Hilton to convince voters to move in his direction on Wednesday.
Here are five takeaways from the debate.
‘Trump, Trump, Trump.’
No matter the topic, Mr. Becerra had an attack line at the ready that boiled down to linking Mr. Hilton with President Trump. It was a logical strategy, given that the president had endorsed Mr. Hilton and is deeply unpopular in California.
In the first 20 minutes of the debate, Mr. Becerra answered questions about taxes, artificial intelligence and immigration enforcement by saying Mr. Hilton’s positions were aligned with Mr. Trump.
Finally, it seemed that Mr. Hilton had had enough.
“All you ever say is ‘Trump, Trump, Trump,’” Mr. Hilton said. “That’s nothing but an insult to every Californian who is desperate for something to change in this state.”
Mr. Becerra seemed to revel in the opportunity to reiterate his point.
“Your words, ‘Trump, Trump, Trump,’ because he is your supporter,” Mr. Becerra said. “You chased his endorsement.”
Mr. Newsom, who cannot run again because of term limits, has found Mr. Trump a valuable foil throughout his eight years in office, even fending off a recall in 2021 by casting his opponent as a Trump acolyte. Mr. Becerra is using the same playbook and likely will find Mr. Trump just as useful politically over the next two years if he is elected governor this fall.
Hilton as the change candidate.
Mr. Hilton began with a dig, thanking CNN for hosting the debate and “for bringing Xavier out of hiding.” He kept up the attacks, repeatedly criticizing Mr. Newsom and other Democrats in the state and blaming the party for California’s problems, including homelessness and a high cost of living.
Mr. Hilton positioned himself as an antidote to years of Democratic rule in California. He said that after 16 years of Democratic governorship, California’s problems had not been solved. He added that Mr. Becerra assumed that he would win in November simply because of the “D” next to his name.
“They think that they can just do whatever they want, get whatever bad results, the highest taxes in the country for the worst results,” he said. “That’s why he hasn’t been campaigning in this election. They take you for granted.”
“And I just want to ask every Californian: Aren’t you tired of that?” he added. “It’s time to try something different instead of the same thing over and over again.”
A.I. is top of mind.
The moderators asked the candidates about another contentious topic: artificial intelligence.
The day before the debate, President Trump invited tech leaders to the White House in response to growing concerns about a potential existential threat posed by the technology. But instead of mandating formal regulation, Mr. Trump had the tech leaders sign an agreement to police themselves.
Mr. Hilton said he would watch the A.I. companies carefully to see if they kept their promises to adopt safety policies. He said he would not shy away from regulations if necessary and that he already supported a ban on A.I. in classrooms.
“Here in this state, we lead this industry, and I think we need to lead the regulation of this industry as well,” Mr. Hilton said.
Mr. Becerra and Mr. Hilton then traded barbs, with Mr. Becerra challenging Mr. Hilton’s willingness to regulate the companies and criticizing what he called Mr. Trump’s “pinky promise” with them.
Neither mentioned Mr. Hilton had moved to the United States for his wife’s career in Silicon Valley. She has held high-level positions at Google and other tech companies and now works for an A.I. start-up.
Tensions flare on immigration.
One comment from Mr. Becerra seemed to particularly strike a particular nerve with Mr. Hilton, an immigrant from Britain.
As the candidates were debating immigration, Mr. Hilton said that California had been flouting its own laws on cooperating with federal authorities in cases involving dangerous criminals. He said that political posturing had gotten in the way of compliance and that his goal was to lower the temperature on the issue by depoliticizing it.
“I’m an immigrant,” he said. “My parents were immigrants, from Hungary to England, so I want to make sure that we protect our legal immigrant communities and we enforce the law.”
In response, Mr. Becerra accused Mr. Hilton of only wanting some immigrants to be allowed to stay in the state.
“Here’s the problem I have with your policies: You seem to welcome immigrants who look like you, but deport immigrants who look like me,” said Mr. Becerra, whose parents immigrated from Mexico.
Mr. Hilton seemed taken aback and said Mr. Becerra’s comment was an example of how California leaders have politicized immigration.
“Your party isn’t enforcing California law as it is now,” he said. “And what a disgraceful remark that was. I don’t think people want to hear that kind of remark in a debate like this.”
Becerra lacks Newsom’s sizzle.
As the debate unfolded on television, Mr. Newsom announced that he had signed his final bill as governor — while standing at the tippy-top of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Even for a flashy politician known for his indulgent photo ops, this one was next level. Literally. The bill signing, 746 feet above the Pacific Ocean, with sweeping vistas of the San Francisco skyline, was emblematic of Mr. Newsom’s attention-grabbing, risk-taking approach to politics.
Mr. Becerra, if elected, would likely be a very different kind of leader. His vibe is low-key. His m.o. has been to play it safe. He’s a Stanford-trained lawyer, and his style throughout Wednesday night’s debate was measured and deliberative.
Mr. Becerra brags about shopping at Costco. Mr. Newsom declared on his taxes that he had given away $45,000 worth of Armani suits.
Debate moderators did not ask the candidates if they would emulate Mr. Newsom by hosting a podcast with right-wing influencers, spilling their family tea in a memoir or staging a photo op at the top of a bridge. They really didn’t have to.
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