California stations announce televised debates in race for governor

ABC’s local station group and Nexstar will both host separate California gubernatorial debates.

ABC-owned KABC has partnered with the University of Southern California to host a March 24, 2026, event at the Dornsife Center for the Political Future. In addition to KABC, KGO in San Francisco, California, and KFSN in Fresno, California, will carry the debate on both linear and streaming. Univision’s KMEX will also air a Spanish-language simulcast. 

KABC anchor Marc Brown will moderate the event, which will also feature a small panel that will ask questions to the six candidates who met eligibility requirements and accepted the invitation to attend. That panel is expected to include KGO political reporter Monica Madden, KFSN anchor Warren Armstrong and KMEX anchor Gabriela Teissier.

Meanwhile, Nexstar Media Group’s KRON in San Francisco will host “Debate Night in California: The Race for Governor” April 22, 2026. The event will simulcast across Nexstar stations KGET in Bakersfield, KGPE and KSEE in Fresno, KSWB and KUSI in San Diego, KTLA in Los Angeles and KTXL in Sacramento.

Nikki Laurenzo, who hosts Nexstar’s statewide political affairs program “Inside California Politics,” and Frank Buckley, a morning news anchor at KTLA, will co-moderate the event.

ABC did not release specific qualification criteria for its debate, but six candidates have qualified and accepted the invitation to appear. These include Chad Bianco (R), Steve Hilton (R), Matt Mahan (D), Katie Porter (D), Tom Steyer (D) and Eric Swalwell (D).

Nexstar’s criteria includes earning at least 5% support in the broadcaster’s March poll as well as additional unspecified criteria.

Based on that all of ABC’s candidates except Mahan have been invited to this event. As of this writing, only Porter has yet to accept to the invitation. 

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