The race to succeed California Gov. Gavin Newsom was marked by scandal, party infighting and national scrutiny — creating some controversial moments that could not be scripted.
Sixty-one candidates are on the ballot. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Trump-endorsed Fox News commentator Steve Hilton, and billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer all lead the field for the state’s top job.
As polls close Tuesday at 8 p.m., The California Post looks back at five pivotal moments that defined the race for governor.
Swalwell Scandal
No moment shook the governor’s race more than the sudden downfall of former Congressman Eric Swalwell.
Swalwell appeared to be in command of the race in the days leading up to the scandal. Polling showed him leading the field with 17.3 percent support ahead of the June primary, and many political observers viewed him as one the candidate to beat — that changed almost overnight.
The first major allegation came from a former staffer who said Eric Swalwell sexually assaulted her in 2019 while she was too intoxicated to consent. Soon after, former model and entrepreneur Lonna Drewes accused the congressman of drugging, choking, and raping her during a 2018 encounter. Other women later alleged sexual misconduct, including claims he sent unsolicited explicit messages and nude photos via social media.
The accusations triggered an immediate political firestorm.
Rival candidates, including San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, called on Swalwell to leave the race. Several prominent supporters also withdrew their endorsements as pressure mounted.
Swalwell denied the allegations, describing them as false and politically motivated. But the fallout proved impossible to contain. Within days, he suspended his gubernatorial campaign, faced a House Ethics Committee investigation, and announced his resignation from Congress.
Swalwell remains under investigation by the Department of Justice, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s Office, which escalated the matter to its Sex Crimes Division, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Becerra’s rise and links to a former aide’s corruption scandal
One candidate who benefited most from Swalwell’s collapse was Xavier Becerra, who served as California’s 33rd attorney general from 2017 to 2021 before President Joe Biden elevated him to Health and Human Services secretary.
Becerra, who had been polling behind Katie Porter in the single digits, surged into the lead after picking up independent and Democratic voters who had previously backed Swalwell.
Becerra has also faced scrutiny throughout the race — donations from oil interests, an awkward exchange with a KTLA journalist and his connection to a former aide caught up in a federal corruption scandal.
Dana Williamson — who served as Newsom’s chief of staff between 2022 and 2024 and also ran Becerra’s 2018 attorney general campaign — pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud.
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Williamson’s connection to Becerra became a topic of discussion following Swalwell’s exit from the race amid sexual assault allegations.
Rival candidates, including Tom Steyer and Katie Porter, have raised questions about Becerra’s knowledge of the campaign finance scandal and whether he could face any political fallout.
Becerra was not charged in the federal corruption probe, which alleges Williamson, former chief of staff Sean McCluskie, and lobbyist Greg Campbell funneled campaign money to McCluskie’s wife through a no-show job.
The indictment states that Becerra was informed Williamson would receive $10,000 per month from his dormant campaign account but was not told the money would ultimately go to McCluskie’s spouse. McCluskie and Campbell pleaded guilty last fall, while Williamson has not yet been sentenced. Becerra has described learning of the scheme as a “gut punch,” and prosecutors view him as a victim.
Porter’s on-camera explosions go viral
Multiple videos of former Rep. Katie Porter losing her temper on camera went viral.
The footage included a fiery 2021 Zoom call in which she berated a staffer, screaming, “Get out of my f—king shot,” as well as a separate on-air confrontation in which she threatened to walk out of an interview with a CBS reporter.
The controversy significantly stunted Porter’s campaign, triggering widespread backlash, renewed scrutiny of her management style, and a decline in the polls.
Porter later accused a campaign staffer working for rival Tom Steyer of illegally leaking the government-owned footage to the press in an effort to damage her gubernatorial bid — an allegation Steyer’s campaign denied to the New York Post.
She eventually leaned into the controversy, releasing a campaign advertisement that referenced the viral “out of my shot” outburst.
In the immediate aftermath of the video’s release, Porter apologized and acknowledged she could have handled the situation better.
“I took responsibility. When we did that interview — and more importantly, I took responsibility five years ago, too, and worked together with that staffer for four years after that,” Porter told Nexstar.
She later made light of the incident in a campaign ad released just one month before the election, jokingly asking supporters: “Now could you guys please get out of my shot?”
USC diversity debate pulled
Few episodes better captured the chaos of the governor’s race than the debate that never happened.
What was supposed to be a major televised showdown at the University of Southern California instead became one of the campaign’s most contentious controversies. Less than a day before candidates were scheduled to take the stage, USC abruptly canceled the event after facing mounting criticism over who had been invited — and who had been left out.
The debate lineup included Democrats Eric Swalwell, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, and Matt Mahan, along with Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco. Every invited candidate was white.
Excluded from the stage were several high-profile Democratic contenders of color, including Xavier Becerra, Antonio Villaraigosa, Tony Thurmond, and Betty Yee.
University officials defended the selection process, arguing it relied on objective criteria such as polling and fundraising. Critics, however, questioned the formula and argued it produced a result that failed to reflect the diversity of both the field and the state itself.
The dispute quickly evolved from a debate about campaign qualifications into a broader argument over representation, fairness, and the role of race in California politics.
As pressure intensified, lawmakers threatened boycotts, excluded candidates demanded answers, and even some invited participants urged organizers to expand the stage. With protests growing and no compromise in sight, USC ultimately canceled the event.
Instead of showcasing the candidates, the canceled debate became a major campaign story in its own right, dominating headlines, fueling political infighting, and underscoring just how unpredictable the race had become.
Becerra and Steyer advertising civil war
Democratic rivals Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer launched a bitter battle over campaign advertising, turning an already intense contest into open political warfare.
Steyer, the billionaire environmental activist, shattered state spending records by pouring more than $195 million into television, radio, cable, and digital advertising. His unprecedented spending dwarfed that of Becerra, whose campaign operated with a far smaller advertising budget. Even with support from outside groups spending millions to boost his candidacy and attack Steyer, Becerra remained vastly outspent by his wealthy rival.
The feud escalated when Steyer released a hard-hitting advertisement titled Risky. The commercial sought to link Becerra to the criminal convictions of two former senior aides and suggested the Democratic frontrunner could face legal troubles of his own.
Becerra’s campaign quickly fired back, accusing Steyer of spreading false and misleading claims.
A cease-and-desist letter from Becerra’s legal team demanded the ad be removed, arguing it unfairly connected the candidate to crimes committed by others.
Rather than retreat, Steyer’s campaign doubled down. In a sharply worded response, campaign attorney Ryan Hughes rejected the accusations and challenged Becerra’s team to pursue legal action, saying they would welcome the opportunity to question Becerra and others under oath.