Four Republicans hoping to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in next month’s recall election took to the debate stage last Wednesday in Yorba Linda, speaking about a variety of issues plaguing the Golden State.
Other moderators included former United States National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien, as well as Christine Devine and Elex Michaelson of FOX 11 Los Angeles.
The four candidates largely stuck to conservative talking points and gave predictable responses. Still, there is plenty to unpack from this debate:
1. The elephants not in the room: Newsom, Larry Elder, and Caitlyn Jenner.
Gov. Newsom, conservative radio host Larry Elder, and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner were all notably absent from the debate. According to the Nixon Foundation, Newsom did not respond to an invitation to face off against any of his challengers. Jenner was busy filming a program in Australia, a decision potentially reflective of the former Olympian’s tanking status in the polls.
Elder, on the other hand, opted to campaign at a Bakersfield country club. He tweeted that engaging in a “circular firing squad” with other Republican candidates would only help Newsom survive the recall. As Townhall reported on July 27, a recent Los Angeles Times poll seems to back up Elder’s thinking — 18 percent of the voters in favor of recalling Newsom named Elder as their preferred candidate.
“Larry Elder will be at a Bakersfield fundraiser. His spokeswoman said Elder wants to debate Newsom and warned in a tweet that a ‘circular firing squad’ among GOP candidates would only benefit the governor.”https://t.co/VWUZJPvaHF#RecallGavinNewsom #WeveGotAStateToSave
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 4, 2021
2. Little separates these candidates ideologically, yet they all named different top priorities.
All four candidates slammed Newsom for enabling the drug crisis and Chinese influence in higher education, as well as abusing his powers during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. But in response to Michaelson’s question about their top priority in working with a supermajority-Democratic legislature, each candidate focused on a different issue.
Cox named the housing crisis as California’s most severe problem, and said that the cost of housing “drives the middle class into poverty and out of this state.” He called the process of residents and businesses leaving a “wage-price spiral upwards,” and vowed to call a special legislative session to address housing upon election.
John Cox: "Housing is my business. I've built houses in other states for a tiny fraction of what it costs to do in California. The problem is government." #CARecallDebate https://t.co/JWoCgsMYuK https://t.co/X4dF6DMRHf pic.twitter.com/yVm7g87pQh
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) August 5, 2021
Faulconer vaguely echoed Cox’s statement, promising to make California more affordable. He explained the need to cut taxes and cited his success in working with San Diego Democrats to pass tax cuts at the local level.
Kevin Faulconer: Top priority is making California affordable. #CARecallDebate https://t.co/JWoCgsvnDc pic.twitter.com/p7ts9Xd8OX
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) August 5, 2021
Kiley railed against California’s “broken” state government, which he blamed on a “political class that serves the special interests rather than the people.” He vowed to end corruption, and reminded the audience that he was California’s only state-level politician to not accept any special interest money.
Kevin Kiley: Plan is to fix a broken state government. #CARecallDebate https://t.co/JWoCgsvnDc pic.twitter.com/naTdR0KEcf
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) August 5, 2021
Ose expanded on Kiley’s point, saying that immediately firing the progressive bureaucrats restricting both water storage construction and the incarceration of violent criminals. He also prioritized replacing those at the California Department of Education pushing “foolish” curriculum like critical race theory.
Doug Ose: Top priority is to fire the people preventing construction of new water storage. #CARecallDebate https://t.co/JWoCgsvnDc pic.twitter.com/e5mevSzQWF
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) August 5, 2021
3. John Cox is a businessman. He wants everyone to know this.
Cox largely debated as an advocate of deregulation and tax cuts, and he mentioned several times that his buildings are much cheaper to construct in Indiana than in Los Angeles. He argued that the country’s most popular governors are businessmen while slamming California’s terrible business climate. And in true businessman fashion, he said that the ideal minimum wage is $0, as wages should ideally be set between the employer and employee.
John Cox is asked about California's minimum wage. He says he agrees with fellow candidate, conservative radio host Larry Elder, that the minimum wage should be $0 and worked out with the employee and employer.
— Christal Hayes (@Journo_Christal) August 5, 2021
Cox gave a solid performance, although he is generally polling in a distant third and would likely lose again to Newsom in a direct election, but the recall format ensures that Cox has a fighting chance — even if his wife and children are embarrassed by his nose hair.
Umm...
— Kathleen Ronayne (@kronayne) August 5, 2021
What is something embarrassing your kids would tell us about you?
John Cox: "That my wife doesn't like my nose hair."
4. Kevin Faulconer took some heat.
Faulconer was first challenged by Doug Ose, who attacked his record of handling homelessness in San Diego. Faulconer dismissed the criticism by arguing that, under his leadership, San Diego was the only city to reduce homelessness by “double digits.”
Kevin Faulconer responds to being called "Plastic Man" by Doug Ose for the former San Diego Mayor's handling of the homeless crisis. #CARecallDebate https://t.co/JWoCgsvnDc pic.twitter.com/FhXxciFcRN
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) August 5, 2021
Faucloner also spoke about how Black Lives Matter activists compelled him to fight harder against those trying to defund the police in his city.
Violent crime is at a 13-year high and I know Californians have had enough. As Governor, I'll support our men and women in blue and keep our neighborhoods safe.#RecallDebate #RecallGavinNewsom #RecallNewsom pic.twitter.com/Yi1Wmg46jg
— Kevin Faulconer (@Kevin_Faulconer) August 5, 2021
Faulconer said that he opposes mask mandates but initially refused to commit to taking executive action to ban them when pressed by Hugh Hewitt. GOP governors around the country, like Florida’s Ron DeSantis, have already attempted to strike down local mask mandates.
5. Kevin Kiley is a fast talker.
The representative from Rocklin took full advantage of every second allotted to him during the debate, speaking noticeably faster than everyone else. Kiley’s “elevator pitch” style allowed him to offer many specific policy solutions while dunking on Newsom’s failures at every turn.
Kevin Kiley would "certainly veto" bill that would require ethnic studies for California high school students. "Just two years ago, Gavin Newsom was against this too," Kiley adds. #CARecallDebate https://t.co/JWoCgsMYuK pic.twitter.com/6IZ7vPgGty
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) August 5, 2021
Of Newsom, Kiley criticized the governor’s slow vaccine rollout, and his decision to jam California Secretary of State Alex Padilla into Kamala Harris’ U.S. Senate seat, as opposed to letting the voters elect their new senator.
Kevin Kiley: "We undoubtedly could have saved lives if we had a better government performance. We certainly would have done more good than the hoopla with the vaccine lotteries." #CARecallDebate https://t.co/JWoCgsvnDc pic.twitter.com/UIo5l2uyIz
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) August 5, 2021
At age 36, Kiley would become California’s youngest-ever governor if elected. However, Kiley’s low name recognition could hurt his chances of trying to catch well-known candidates like Elder and Faulconer.
6. Doug Ose has the one-liners.
In contrast to Kiley, the former congressman from Sacramento adopted a soft-spoken demeanor and delivered two of the evening’s better sound bytes. When asked about Faulconer, Ose doubled down on the comments he made last week criticizing Faulconer’s handling homelessness in San Diego.
Doug Ose explains why he referred to Kevin Faulconer as "Plastic Man" for the former San Diego mayor's handling of the homeless crisis. #CARecallDebate https://t.co/JWoCgsvnDc pic.twitter.com/iBSBtcQfCe
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) August 5, 2021
Ose had called Faulconer a “plastic man” for changing the way his city counted homeless people to reduce the total number of homeless.
Republican candidate for California Governor @DougOse describes @Kevin_Faulconer as "plastic man" on @TheIssueIsShow
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) July 31, 2021
"He strikes me as being an inch thin..."
Ose says Faulconer's record on homelessness is disingenuous.
Both will debate live on @FOXLA @KTVU Wed 6-7:30P. pic.twitter.com/F4plstDCaH
Later, Ose lit into the bureaucratic incompetence of California’s Employment Development Department (EDD), arguing that there is no good reason for the time it takes for the department to process requests for unemployment aid. Ose said that the EDD needs to “answer the damn phone!”
Doug Ose on EDD woes: "Just answer the damn phone." #CARecallDebate https://t.co/JWoCgsvnDc pic.twitter.com/hqVfviBUWo
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) August 5, 2021
Like Kiley, Ose is a lesser-known candidate receiving consistently below 5 percent support in the polls.
The Nixon Library will host a second debate on Sunday, Aug. 22, just over three weeks before the recall election on Sept. 14. All eligible voters in California will be mailed a ballot beginning on Monday, Aug. 16.
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