Steve Hilton, Xavier Becerra clash in testy California governor's race debate

Victorio's Ristorante in north Hollywood hosts a watch party for the debate between gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra, left, and Steve Hilton on Wednesday. Victorio's Ristorante in north Hollywood hosts a watch party for the debate between gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra, left, and Steve Hilton on Wednesday. Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton, the candidates running to be California's next governor, clashed on Wednesday over taxes, immigration and regulating artificial intelligence in a testy debate held days before voters begin receiving their ballots in the heavily Democratic state. Hilton, the former Fox News host endorsed by Donald Trump, used the hourlong matchup, hosted by CNN in its studio in Burbank, California, to argue that Becerra, a former congressman who served as the US health and human services secretary during the Biden administration, was not actively campaigning and instead taking voters for granted. "He wasn't even supposed to be the candidate," Hilton, 57, said, referring to Becerra's unexpected success after an unusually wild primary campaign.