STEYER BRINGS THE FIRE TO CNN DEBATE 🔥

Split Screen: Tom focused on taxing the wealthiest to bring down costs for working Californians — while Becerra refused to support single payer and every other candidate refused to support the Billionaire Tax

LOS ANGELES, CA— Tom Steyer won tonight’s debate – and Xavier Becerra lost. While Becerra withered under pressure and was unable to give a clear answer on single payer and his role in an FBI indictment, Steyer had a series of standout moments, including on single payer healthcare, taxing billionaires, and taking on Big Oil. He offered a clear, consistent, and forceful vision for how he would bring down costs for California families by taking on powerful interests – the same forces now spending over $23 million to keep Steyer out of office.

Steyer opened the debate laying out the affordability crisis and drew a clear contrast:

“The biggest problem in California is that Californians can't afford to live here anymore. And it starts with housing, but it definitely includes healthcare, it includes electric costs which are twice as high as in the rest of the country, and it includes soaring gasoline prices. I have a plan for every single one of those. The difference between me and everybody else is I'm willing to take on the corporate special interests. I'm willing to push for single payer. I'm willing to take on the electric monopolies. They're spending big against me, and that proves it. I'm the change agent and I'm the progressive.”

While Steyer made clear that he was on the side of working Californians, the other candidates showed voters they were more of the same status quo politicians that are bought and paid for by special interests:

• Despite being asked 3 times about his support for single payer, Becerra refused to say if he still supported the measure. This comes as KQED reported on Friday that Becerra walked away from single payer in a closed door meeting with medical lobbyists who endorsed him and gave him a max contribution just today.
• While Steyer took aim at Big Oil for raking profits while Californians feel pain at the pump, Becerra stood by his max out contribution from Chevron — which he refuses to return.
• Becerra was under so much fire for the cloud of scandal surrounding him that he found himself actually encouraging people to “read the indictment” against two of his top aides.
• After Steyer said he would close a corporate tax loophole, Mahan attacked him, saying we shouldn’t raise taxes on billion dollar companies.
• While Steyer said he would vote for the billionaire tax if it was on the ballot, every other candidate refused to support the measure.

Tonight, Californians saw this race was a clear choice between the status quo politicians who are bought and paid for by special interests that have made the state unaffordable —- and Tom Steyer, who is supported by nurses, teachers, unions, environmental groups, and progressives, because he has the plans and will take on special interests to bring down costs for working Californians.

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