California Governor Debate Cancelled Over All-White Lineup

A California gubernatorial debate has been cancelled following mounting criticism that only white candidates had qualified for the event.

Hours before it was set to take place, the debate was abruptly cancelled when candidates of color, who were set to be excluded, accused the University of Southern California (USC), which was set to host the event, of discrimination. The local news station KABC-TV had been set to televise the event.

The university said that it had discussed including more candidates with KABC TV, but they had been unable to reach an agreement.

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It’s been more than a decade since California had a Republican governor—former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s term ran from 2003 to 2011—but several polls have shown that two Republicans are advancing in the election. Given the structure of the electoral system, this has raised the possibility that Democrats could be entirely locked out of the race.

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Both Republican and Democratic candidates were set to participate in the debate. Democrats Tom Steyer, Katie Porter, Eric Swalwell and Matt Mahan and Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, all of whom are white.

Four well-established Democrats—former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and the former state Controller Betty Yee—all failed to meet the criteria to participate.

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California’s primary is scheduled for June, with the gubernatorial election set to take place on November 3.