23 days before Election Day, Tom Steyer is spending time with voters and answering questions from the press. Xavier Becerra is dodging reporters and screening questions at town halls.
Let’s take a look at a few numbers that defined the governor’s race this past week:
1,590 minutes – that’s 26.5 hours: time Tom spent talking to voters since the launch of the “California You Can Afford” bus tour April 30 – at debates, during live interviews, forums, press conferences. Highlights include: a town hall in San Jose, (450+ in attendance!), interviews with Pod Save America and Zeteo, press conferences with the California Nurses Association and one with Jane Fonda.
9: # of stops on the “California You Can Afford” bus tour in our first week alone. We’ve hit South Bay, Los Angeles, and this weekend will be Orange County and Inland Empire.
300,000: # of workers represented by UNITE HERE! — one of the largest labor endorsements in the race — which endorsed Tom this week, along with endorsements from SEIU California, Sierra Club, YIMBY Action, Affordable Housing LA, and elected officials up and down the state.
Meanwhile…
0: # of minutes Xavier Becerra spent in the post-debate spin room on Wednesday. (Tom was in the spin room for nearly an hour!)
0: The number of Becerra town halls without pre-screened questions. Meanwhile, Tom welcomes every single question asked at town halls – even from people who disagree with him.
7: # of times Becerra refused to answer about single payer – a position he once supported but now is against, after meeting with lobbyists behind closed doors.
At least 25: # of Becerra’s former colleagues who think he’s too incompetent for the job, which includes 6 new people who came out this week in a Politico article that sowed even more doubt on his ability to get things done under pressure..
$26 million: The amount corporate interests are spending against Tom. For those keeping score, that’s:
- $11,500,000 from PG&E via Californians for Resilient and Affordable Energy
- $7,000,000 from the California Association Of Realtors
- $6,500,000 from JobsPAC via the California Chamber of Commerce
- $1,000,000 from the California Building Industry Association
$39,200: The maximum contribution Xavier Becerra accepted from Chevron, directly contradicting his stated position on fighting Big Oil.
85,000: # migrant children who were lost under Xavier Becerra's watch as HHS Secretary, an issue that continues to be raised in debates as a failure of his record.
Will this be the week Becerra finally starts answering for his record?
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