Pomona Debate 2026: The California Dream Is Dying—Clear Winners, Clear Losers

Drew Allen • April 29, 2026

Tuesday night’s chaotic California gubernatorial debate at Pomona College was marked by constant interruptions and deep voter frustration.

Drew Allen, The Daily Signal’s California columnist, argues in today’s commentary that Republican Steve Hilton delivered the strongest performance by confronting Sacramento’s failures head-on, Matt Mahan stood out as the most pragmatic Democrat, while Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer turned in the weakest, most disconnected showings, all while 64% of Californians now believe the California dream is no longer attainable.

We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.

Read the first chapter of The Woketopus right now for FREE

Today, even with President Trump’s victory, leftist elites have their tentacles in every aspect of our government.

The Daily Signal’s own Tyler O’Neil exposes this leftist cabal in his new book, The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government.

In this book, O’Neil reveals how the Left’s NGO apparatus pursues its woke agenda, maneuvering like an octopus by circumventing Congress and entrenching its interests in the federal government.
You can read the first chapter of this new book for FREE in this eBook, The Woketopus: Chapter One using the secure link below.

GET MY FREE EBOOK