California Governor's Debate Canceled After Criticism Over Lack of Diversity

[Shrek]

NYT: https://archive.is/w0EVL

The University of Southern California canceled a gubernatorial debate less than 24 hours before it was supposed to take place Tuesday after facing outrage over including only white candidates.

Concerns about the selection criteria “have created a significant distraction from the issues that matter to voters,” the university said in a brief statement provided Tuesday. U.S.C. and KABC, the Los Angeles television station that was broadcasting the debate, could not reach an agreement on how to allow more candidates, the university said.

The debate had become a flashpoint in the sprawling race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is barred by term limits from running again. Eight Democrats and two Republicans have been the most prominent contenders in a large field running in the June 2 primary.

Tuesday’s debate was scheduled to include six candidates — two Republicans and three Democrats who were polling at the top, as well as another Democrat, Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose. Mr. Mahan’s polling has been weak, but he has raised millions of dollars from Silicon Valley executives since he entered the race in late January.

It was the inclusion of Mr. Mahan — who, like the other five debate participants, is white — that led to blowback from the prominent candidates of color who were left out.

[msongs]

1. polling at 3 percent is not prominent

[JI7]

2. There were non white people that would have a lead

but they all ended up not running or dropping out.

So I don't have a problem with not including the ones in the race that aren't polling well. We need to avoid making non racial things into racial things.

[pinkstarburst]

3. The thing I hate most in debates

is when we let way too many people who have absolutely zero chance at actually advancing up on the debate stage, to the point that it becomes a screaming match/zoo where you can't hear ANYONE talk. And yes, I'm talking about the debacle that was the democratic primary in 2020. I think they let 20 candidates debate that time, and had 10 on stage each night. That was WAY too many.

I see nothing wrong with limiting debates based on who has a reasonable chance of advancing. In this case, I think it's silly to make it about race, when it's not. If Harris had decided to run, she would have been the frontrunner.

I hope that when it comes time to do the debates for 2028, if we want to have as many people debate as we did last time, we structure it differently, to where debate groups are divided based on current polling, and also to where each group has no more than 7 people on stage. If we really want to have 20 people debate, we may have to have 3 nights and if that means only the die hard democrats watch all three nights, so be it, but I think that is better than a circus where you can't hear anyone talk, and people polling at .5% who have no chance of winning take potshots at the likely candidates to try to get a sound bite (looking at you, Julian Castro.)