USC Debate Boycott Called For Over Exclusion of Candidates of Color
California’s gubernatorial debate, scheduled for Tuesday at the University of Southern California, is facing mounting calls for a boycott after Democratic leaders accused the university of using biased criteria that excluded leading candidates of color. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón, and leaders of several legislative caucuses sent a letter Monday demanding USC include all leading candidates or risk a widespread voter boycott, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The controversy centers on the debate’s selection process, which critics say unfairly prioritized San José Mayor Matt Mahan, a white candidate who recently entered the race and currently lags in polling, over more prominent candidates like former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and former state Controller Betty Yee. The university’s methodology, based on a combination of polling and fundraising, has been described as “biased” by the legislative leaders.
“When a methodology produces this outcome — one that elevates a candidate with notable ties to USC’s donor community and the co-director of the Dornsife Center for the Political Future — the burden falls on USC to explain itself, not on everyone else to accept it,” the letter stated. Mike Murphy, a co-director of the USC center hosting the debate, is currently advising an independent expenditure committee supporting Mahan, raising further questions about potential conflicts of interest. Murphy has stated he will take unpaid abandon from the university if he accepts a paid role in the campaign.
Adding to the scrutiny, USC has received “tens of millions of dollars” in donations from billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso and his wife, both of whom are Mahan supporters. Caruso, a USC alumnus and former trustee, told the Los Angeles Times he had no involvement in the debate’s organization and believes all credible candidates should be included.
The debate is co-sponsored by KABC-TV Los Angeles and Univision and is scheduled less than two months before ballots are mailed to voters. The sponsors released a joint statement Friday defending their criteria, asserting it was “based on well-established metrics consistent with formulas widely used to set debate participation nationwide” and developed without regard to any particular candidate, as reported by ABC7 San Francisco.
Despite the sponsors’ defense, the four Democratic candidates excluded from the debate issued a statement hours later calling on their rivals to boycott the event. Rep. Eric Swalwell of Dublin, former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer, and Mahan, who *are* participating, have all publicly criticized USC’s selection criteria. Swalwell expressed his disappointment on X (formerly Twitter), stating he remained hopeful USC would “do the right thing.” Porter echoed those sentiments, calling for transparency and objectivity in the debate process.
As of Monday evening, USC officials had not responded to requests for comment regarding the boycott calls. The outcome of the debate, and whether voters will heed the calls to boycott, remains uncertain.