Voters across the state are narrowing in on their favorite candidates as the search for California’s new governor kicked off with the first gubernatorial debate in San Francisco on February 3. As students across the USC campus consider the candidates and issues that resonate with them, others are only just receiving news of the election itself.
Held and live-streamed from Ruth Williams Bay View Opera House, the event gave Californians a deeper understanding of exactly who they may want to replace Gavin Newsom as governor in November. Issues like homelessness, cost of living, healthcare and public safety dominated the stage.
But who are the candidates for the next governor of the most populated state in the nation and the fourth-largest economy in the world?
At USC, students seem to know very little about the governor’s race, or the candidates themselves.
Esperanza Herrera, a sophomore studying architecture, has not watched or read about the gubernatorial debate. She said she doesn’t know what she’d want from a California governor.
When asked what policy issues she feels could be changed, she said, “I’m actually not sure. I have no idea.”
College student voting has been a topic on the frontlines of recent elections, especially as social media begins to play a role in political sway. 76% of college students were registered to vote in 2024, according to a study done by the Tufts Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.
That same study found that 12.3% more of the general American population actually votes in elections compared to college voters.
This disparity is even greater in non-presidential elections such as midterm and local elections.
With 42% of USC students being from California, the debate is instrumental as Golden State students consider who to give their vote.
Jordan Evans, a junior studying economics and math, did not watch the debate. However, he says he knows what he wants in a governor.
“I would like someone who’s looking out for, like, all the people in this state, and not just sections of them,” Evans said.
Alex Evans, a sophomore studying business of cinematic arts said she also hasn’t looked into the governor’s race.
Despite this, she hopes that the incoming governor will try to “mitigate some of the things that [are] going on right now,” saying she would support a governor whose policies are “not what the current president is doing.”
The three largest concerns of young Americans are inflation, healthcare, and housing, all issues that were discussed in the gubernatorial debate, with only 13% of young Americans believing that the U.S. is headed in the right direction.
With the recent rise in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence across the country, young people from coast to coast have participated in walk-outs and protests.
Antonio Villaraigosa, gubernatorial candidate, emphasizes the importance of Trojan votes in the elections.
“USC students have a direct stake in California’s future, and this gubernatorial race will shape it,” he writes.
Villaraigosa adds that the policy he aims to pursue will make “California more affordable, expanding opportunities for young people, and protecting the community from Trump’s ICE thugs.”
He calls upon USC students to use their voices and votes for their future.
Dan Schnur is a senior fellow and professor at the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism and a professor at the University of California Berkeley and Pepperdine University.
He spoke with Annenberg Media about the Tuesday debate and student engagement in the race.
Schnur likened the debate to a spelling bee, saying that “when there’s six or seven or eight people on stage, it’s not really a debate.”
“A candidate has enough time to have their message heard, and it’s very difficult for voters to differentiate between the candidates,” he said.
He explained that college students do care about the issues discussed in the debate, but that candidates lack visibility.
“[Students] knew more about Kamala Harris because she had run for president. They knew more about the wildfires or the ICE raids because it directly affects their lives,” he said.
This years’ election, he said, makes for a particularly difficult decision —he said this is because the majority of the candidates are democratic nominees.
“How to judge shades of gray differentials takes a lot more time and energy and attention than when the differences are much more obvious,” he said.