SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The University of Southern California has canceled a gubernatorial debate scheduled for Tuesday after candidates of color, who were supposed to be excluded, accused the school of discrimination.
Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco and Democrats Tom Steyer, Katie Porter, Eric Swalwell and Matt Mahan, all white, were scheduled to participate in the debate hosted by the University of Southern California and KABC-TV. But four Democratic candidates of color, Antonio Villaraigosa, Xavier Becerra, Betty Yeh and Tony Thurmond, did not meet the criteria to participate.
In the tight race ahead of the June 2 primary, no clear front-runner has yet emerged.
The university defended the formula used to select participants and denied accusations of bias. The university said in a statement Friday that a public policy professor independently developed the criteria based on candidates’ polling and fundraising.
But on Monday night, the university reversed course, saying debate co-sponsors could not agree on a solution.
“The data-driven candidate viability formula is based on extensive research and has broad academic support,” the company said in a statement. “At the same time, we recognize that concerns about the selection criteria for tomorrow’s gubernatorial debate have severely distracted voters from important issues.”
The controversy escalated on Monday, with legislative leaders including the chairs of the Black and Latino Caucus calling on organizers to open the debate to other established candidates.
“If USC does not do the right thing, we call on California voters to boycott this debate,” they wrote. “If the university does not give voters a fair opportunity to evaluate each candidate running for governor, voters should find other ways to learn about the candidates.”
Former Los Angeles mayor Villaraigosa, who is Latino, celebrated the school’s decision to cancel the debate.
“USC made the right decision, even if it came too late and under pressure,” he said.
