Becerra and Hilton to Face Off in Televised California Governor Debate

Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who served in the Biden administration, will debate Steve Hilton, a Republican former talk show host, in what's likely to be their only face-off before the election.

The two candidates running for California governor will meet Wednesday for a nationally televised debate that is likely to be their only face-off before the Nov. 3 election.

After a wild primary campaign this year, the governor's race has settled into a low-key affair. Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who served as health and human services secretary under President Joseph R. Biden Jr., is a heavy favorite in a state dominated by his party. He is facing Steve Hilton, a Republican who was once a Fox News television host and an aide to David Cameron, the former British prime minister.

CNN will host the debate at 6 p.m. local time, just days before ballots begin landing in voters' mailboxes.

Univision, the Spanish-language network, told The New York Times that both candidates have also agreed to participate in a town-hall-style forum on Oct. 20. But the candidates will not appear at the same time at that event.

Mr. Hilton, 57, who has lagged in polls and fund-raising, stands to gain more than Mr. Becerra from the national exposure that Wednesday's debate will provide. He has been traveling the state to hold campaign events and sit for media interviews, trying to catch voters' attention however he can.

By comparison, Mr. Becerra, 68, has made limited public appearances since the June primary. It's been two decades since California voters elected a Republican to statewide office, so many Democratic candidates in the state have come to wage fiercer fights in the primary against party rivals and then kept a lower profile in less competitive general elections.