Editorial: The ABC-USC gubernatorial debate needs to include candidates of color

California’s gubernatorial race is already plagued with controversy and now it is tarnished by the upcoming televised debate, which will only feature white candidates. 

California’s candidates for governor include several candidates of color, but none of them were invited to participate in a debate hosted by ABC7 and the University of Southern California (USC).

The debate is set to take place on March 24 and will be cosponsored by ABC7 Los Angeles and Univision, which will air the debate live in Spanish. 

The selection of one of the candidates, in particular, is puzzling. 

Why is Matt Mahan in the ABC-USC debate when Xavier Becerra and Antonio Villaraigosa are not? 

The Berkeley IGS-LA Times Poll released on March 18 shows that Becerra is ranked 6th at 5% while Mahan ranks 8th at 4%. 

Why then did ABC, Univision and USC decide to invite Mahan when even before the most recent poll, Becerra and Villaraigosa were ranking higher in other polls?

Betty Yee, former state controller and Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond were also not invited to the debate. 

While it’s true that inviting everyone may have caused too much confusion for the hosts and the format of the debate, much more consideration should be given to including diverse voices running for the top state position. 

There should be room for diversity in the debate. 

But let’s be clear: the position is too important to leave to chance. Having more than six candidates for governor can be detrimental and cause two Republicans to take the primary election spots because of the state’s top two system. California can not take that risk. 

Democratic candidates need to consider whether they are hurting the party they represent and step out of the race as we near the two months before the primary election.