Becerra and Hilton continue their midterm campaigns in Sacramento

Gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton took the stage in Sacramento this week, giving voters a peek into what their campaigns will look like in the months leading up to the November midterm election.

POLITICO hosted a Sacramento summit on Aug. 12, hosting leaders in a variety of fields, including former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff. Hilton and Becerra gave their thoughts on hot button issues including healthcare and artificial intelligence regulation.

Becerra is highly regarded as the favorite to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom following the November election. With the majority of Californians being registered Democrats, Becerra likely has an easier path to the governor’s seat, compared to Republican Steve Hilton, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump.

The majority of California voters, 55% are currently supporting Becerra, compared to 37% of voters backing Hilton, according to the latest UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll.

After months of single-digit polling, Becerra skyrocketed in the polls after former Congressman Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race and resigned from Congress following allegations of sexual misconduct and assault.

On his rise in the polls, Becerra said voters “were looking for someone who could do the job,” and that his campaign was eventually “able to catch fire.”

Hilton addressed the uphill battle he’s facing, saying he was “probably the only person in this room that actually thinks I can win this election.”

New and old policy positions

On artificial intelligence, Becerra said the state needs to put “real guardrails” on the technology, while simultaneously nurturing it and making sure AI innovation stays in the state.

“We have to do it because AI was born [and] raised here in California,” Becerra said. “It’s our baby.”

Becerra, former President Joe Biden’s Health and Human Services Secretary, showed support for the Legislature's Fair Share from Big Corporations Act, which would have the state’s largest employers pay into Medi-Cal if their own employees use the public benefit.

The next governor will have major influence over whether or not the proposal will go through.

“Why should we subsidize healthcare for those folks who are working full time because their employer won't pay them enough so they can afford health insurance?” Becerra asked. “Someone's not paying their fair share there.”

Becerra was often criticized during his primary campaign for remaining vague on certain policy points, while he said he was being sure not to make “inflated promises.”

He repeated this message Tuesday, saying “you can talk a great game, but unless you can deliver, people are going to crucify it.”

At the summit, Becerra unveiled a new policy point he has deemed “power hour,” a plan he says would save Californians up to $1,000 a year. He said if elected, he would work with utility companies to give working families two free hours of electricity a day if they run high-usage appliances like washing machines and dishwashers during a specific two-hour window.

Becerra said he would work with stakeholders, but did not give any specifics on how this plan would be implemented or what the incentive for the companies would be. In a press release later that night, the Becerra team said the plan would be available to working families based on income and household size.

Becerra also doubled down on his opposition to Proposition 40, a proposed one-time five percent tax on the state’s billionaires; he said he supports a federal wealth tax.

“Do I think that we have to have a system that lets all of us recoup the benefits of everything we do together to make our country better and more productive? Absolutely,” he said. “Is that happening? Certainly not in the fourth largest economy in the country.”

Clear messaging

Both Becerra and Hilton had clear campaign messaging they were trying to get across Tuesday. 

Hilton twice mentioned policy points he and some of the Democratic candidates who were in the race agreed on.

He said he found “common ground” with Democrats on ideas for how to build more housing and as well as supporting competition for utilities companies.

A Trump-endorsed candidate, Hilton has the challenge of convincing the state’s undecided voters that he is not a radical candidate. 

Becerra said many times that the state of California as well as the Democratic Party are a “family,” at one point comparing the party to a football team when asked about the slate of Democratic Socialist candidates emerging nationwide.

“The bigger the team grows, the more I can do, because there's less folks that can stand in the way of our juggernaut, whether we're on offense or on defense,” Becerra said. “So long as you can play the position, come join the team.”