California governor debate canceled after criticism of criteria that excluded candidates o

California governor debate canceled after criticism of criteria that excluded candidates of color

The six candidates who met the polling and fundraising qualifications for the event, initially scheduled for Tuesday, are white.

A California gubernatorial debate was canceled just hours before it was set to occur on Tuesday after mounting criticism that only white candidates in the crowded field had qualified for the event.



The criteria to participate in the debate, which was set to be co-sponsored by the University of Southern California and the Los Angeles TV station KABC, had emerged in recent days as a source of controversy in the wide-open race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom. The sprawling field includes eight prominent Democrats and two major Republicans, as well as several other lesser-known candidates.


USC had faced condemnation for using polling and fundraising criteria for participation in the debate that had resulted in the exclusion of all the nonwhite gubernatorial candidates.

In a statement from late Monday night, USC said that the “concerns about the selection criteria” for the debate had “created a significant distraction from the issues that matter to voters.”

“Unfortunately, USC and KABC have not been able to reach an agreement on expanding the number of candidates at tomorrow’s debate. As a result, USC has made the difficult decision to cancel tomorrow’s debate and will look for other opportunities to educate voters on the candidates and issues,” the university said in that statement.

The school added that it “vigorously defends the independence, objectivity, and integrity" of the formula it used to determine whether candidates qualified for the debate, saying it was "based on extensive research and enjoys broad academic support."

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