With early voting now underway statewide, the debate featured five Democratic and two Republican candidates and quickly turned combative.
"If you think that it can't get worse in California, I've got two words for you, Tom Steyer," Republican Steve Hilton said early in the exchange.
Steyer fired back, saying, "I do think it's rich to hear someone talk about $3 gas who is owned by Donald Trump, who has driven up gas prices by at least a buck fifty."
Affordability dominated the opening portion of the debate, as AAA reports that average gas prices have surpassed $6 per gallon. Hilton argued Democrats should not remain in power, while Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra countered that his party is better positioned to address economic inequality.
"Everyone should pay their fair share, no one can claim that a CEO that's making more than a thousand times their line workers is paying their fair share," Becerra said.
Becerra also sparred with fellow Democrat and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan over economic policy and experience.
"What have those 30 years of experience gotten us? Higher healthcare, less affordable health care that's ..." Mahan said, before Becerra interjected, "Actually, not on my watch."
Health care emerged as another key dividing line among candidates, particularly around proposals for a single-payer system and whether it should include undocumented immigrants.
Rep. Katie Porter defended broader access, saying, "These Californians, they contribute to our economy, they pay taxes, and they're one of the only ways our state has been growing in recent years."
Others rejected or criticized that approach. Hilton argued against expanding coverage to undocumented immigrants, saying, "The actual way we deal with healthcare in this state is to at least stop spending twenty billion dollars a year on healthcare for illegal immigrants who shouldn't even be in the country in the first place."
Steyer, meanwhile, voiced support for universal access. "Everybody in California has a right to health care. The truth of the matter is, immigrants built this state. Immigrants make this state run," he said.
The debate highlighted the ideological divisions shaping the race, with candidates attempting to distinguish themselves ahead of the primary.
In the coming days, more than 500,000 Fresno County voters will receive their ballots. Residents who are not yet registered have until May 18 to do so.