The University of Southern California canceled a high-profile gubernatorial debate just hours before it was scheduled to air, following intense criticism over the exclusion of candidates of color. The debate, set for Tuesday in Los Angeles, would have featured six white candidates, including the low-polling San Jose mayor, Matt Mahan, who has significant Silicon Valley backing. Prominent excluded candidates, such as Xavier Becerra and Antonio Villaraigosa, both Latino, and Tony Thurmond, Black, held a news conference demanding the participants withdraw, arguing the exclusion ignored the state's minority-majority demographics.

The cancellation underscores the intense pressure on the Democratic establishment to consolidate the field ahead of the June 2 primary.