Five Candidates Confirmed for California Governor Debate on KRON4

The debate will air across Nexstar's California stations on April 22, 2026.

Apr. 1, 2026 at 1:09am

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KRON4 and its parent company Nexstar will host a California gubernatorial debate on April 22, 2026, featuring five candidates who qualified based on Nexstar's standardized debate participation criteria. The Democratic candidates are former Rep. Katie Porter, East Bay Congressman Eric Swalwell, and billionaire activist Tom Steyer. The Republican candidates are political commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

Why it matters

This debate will be a key event in the California governor's race, providing voters across the state an opportunity to hear directly from the leading candidates on the issues. The debate's format and criteria have been designed to be fair and objective, ensuring a level playing field for all participants.

The details

To qualify for the KRON4/Inside California Politics debate, candidates had to meet several criteria set by Nexstar, including being legally qualified and listed on the ballot, publicly announcing their candidacy, and receiving at least 5% support in a recent statewide poll conducted by Emerson College. The five candidates who met these requirements will take the stage, while several other high-profile candidates failed to qualify.

  • The debate will take place on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 7 p.m.
  • Nexstar conducted the qualifying poll between March 7-9, 2026.

The players

Katie Porter

A former U.S. Representative who is running as a Democrat in the California governor's race.

Eric Swalwell

A U.S. Congressman representing California's East Bay region, running as a Democrat for governor.

Tom Steyer

A billionaire activist and businessman who is running as a Democrat for California governor.

Steve Hilton

A political commentator who is running as a Republican in the California governor's race.

Chad Bianco

The Riverside County Sheriff, running as a Republican for California governor.

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What’s next

The debate will be broadcast live and streamed across all of Nexstar's California stations, including KRON in San Francisco, KTLA in Los Angeles, KSWB/KUSI in San Diego, KTXL in Sacramento and KGET in Bakersfield.

The takeaway

This debate will be a critical event in the California governor's race, providing voters across the state an opportunity to hear directly from the leading candidates on the key issues facing the state. The debate's format and criteria have been designed to be fair and objective, ensuring a level playing field for all participants.