Seven candidates for California governor wasted little time attacking one another on Tuesday night as they looked for memorable ways to differentiate themselves in the final weeks of the campaign. The first nationally televised debate in the 2026 California governor’s race aired on CNN just as California began a month of early voting for the June 2 primary election. The race still has a large field of prominent candidates and has no clear favorite. All of them are running to succeed Gov. Gavin N

Election Night: What viewers see VS Behind the scenes