YORBA LINDA, Calif. — A quartet of Republicans squared off Wednesday night, each auditioning for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s job while avoiding direct attacks on the others.

Appearing on the debate stage were John Cox, Kevin Faulconer, Kevin Kiley and Doug Ose.

What You Need To Know

  • The first debate for the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom featured four Republican candidates

  • None of the candidates interrupted or argued with each other, preferring to focus on attacking Newsom

  • The recall election is set for Sept. 14

  • All registered California voters will receive a mail-in ballot

At the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, they talked about policy — everything from homelessness, drought, COVID-19, and education. And they all agreed things would be much better if not for Newsom.

Hugh Hewitt, a syndicated conservative radio host, moderated the debate, assisted by a panel, including Christine Devine and Elex Michaelson of Fox 11, and former U.S. National Security Adviser Ambassador Robert C. O’Brien.

The 90-minute debate had little in the way of rebuttals and no direct attacks or name-calling, making the event a distant relative to national debates of recent memory. Candidates were forbidden from interrupting and showed little interest in doing so.

“It was the first civil debate I’ve seen in years,” said Republican strategist Anne Hyde Dunsmore. “Anywhere.”

That was good news for Republicans who feared the candidates might damage each other. Instead, they all attacked Newsom on different issues. They attacked the return of mask mandates in schools, which Faulconer, the former San Diego mayor, said he would consider revoking. They attacked regulations they said stalled new housing projects and taxes that have driven businesses away. 

Conservatives have insisted they had the inside track on a recall since it was first pushed by Orrin Heatlie, a Northern California former sheriff. While his initial push got the ball rolling, the recall was triggered once organizers managed to pull in the required 1.5 million valid signatures. 

When voters receive their ballots, they’ll have two questions to answer. First, if they want a recall, and second who they would want to replace Newsom. Republicans have been focused on the first question, which would require a majority of voters even to trigger the second question.

The candidates made their cases, and each espoused some of the same ideas and boosted the individual merits that would make them the right man for the job.

Assemblymember Kiley spoke about his time serving in the state legislature, his career as a prosecutor and the legal action he’s taken against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive powers.

Cox played up his outsider status repeatedly saying, “I’m a businessman,” adding that he wanted audits of government agencies and to streamline projects for new housing.

Ose, a former U.S. Representative, said his upbringing as a farmer made him the only one on stage able to understand problems brought on by the drought. He veered off somewhat, focusing in on China.

“We are at war with China," Ose said. "We’re not shooting bullets yet. But we are at war."

Not all the candidates received the same questions. Faulconer was the only candidate asked if he would accept campaigning help from former President Donald Trump. He avoided answering before saying he’d take any endorsement from someone who wanted a better California.

Michaelson of Fox 11, the local station on which the debate aired, tried to encourage the candidates to challenge each other's ideas. They didn't bite, except for Ose, who said he disagreed with how Faulconer went about housing the homeless during his run as mayor. Ose’s refrain, which appeared several times during the debate and questions afterward, was “quit calling failure success.”

Ose also stressed treatment for people suffering from addiction or homelessness. 

Conspicuously absent was Larry Elder, the conservative radio show host who is leading in the polls. Dunsmore called his absence a mistake.

“The typical playbook says that if you’re in the lead you don’t go to debates,” she said.

He leads all of the 46 candidates running in the recall election, with 18% of likely voters supporting him, according to a University of California, Berkeley poll from the Institute of Governmental studies.

Republican delegates will meet Saturday to offer endorsements, but Dunsmore doesn’t expect it to mean much or tilt the scale any particular way. The important thing, she said, was the united front the candidates showed.

“There was finger-pointing at Gavin Newsom, and there wasn't one single finger pointed that didn’t offer a solution,” Dunsmore said. “And that’s the way debates should be.”