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Six candidates vying to become the next governor of California sparred on Wednesday in the first debate since the already topsy-turvy race was plunged into upheaval by the sudden collapse of former congressman Eric Swalwell’s campaign after sexual assault and misconduct allegations.

With a clear frontrunner still yet to emerge, the unusually wide-open race to replace the outgoing governor Gavin Newsom in the heavily Democratic state has left nearly a quarter of voters undecided ahead of the 2 June primary.

While sharp contrasts emerged over how to address some of the state’s biggest anxieties – from the high cost of living and housing affordability, to homelessness and the looming threat of artificial intelligence – the evening likely did little to settle the race with less than two weeks before ballots begin arriving in voters’ mailboxes.

The primetime showdown, hosted by Nexstar Media Group, featured two Republicans – Steve Hilton, the former Fox News host and director of strategy to former UK prime minister David Cameron, and Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County – and the four leading Democrats: billionaire Tom Steyer, former health secretary Xavier Becerra, former congresswoman Katie Porter and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.

The Democrats largely agreed on policy, but jostled with one another over the best way to bring down high prices and challenge Donald Trump. The Republicans, meanwhile, blamed the state’s woes on 16 years of “failed” Democratic governance.

“The system is not working,” said Hilton, who has consistently led in polling and recently earned Trump’s endorsement.

Asked about Newsom’s handling of the state’s long-running homelessness crisis, most of the Democrats on stage gave him a passing grade. Porter gave him a “B” and credited the governor with recognizing the role of housing as a root cause, drawing a retort from Hilton, who quipped: “Wow. I’d love to take your class, Katie, if you get a B for what Gavin Newsom’s done on homelessness.” He said he’d give Newsom an “F”.

With the exception of a few sharp jabs, the debate lacked a standout moment that could jolt the contest or crown a frontrunner. But it offered a platform for the candidate to introduce themselves to Californians who are beginning to tune in.

“We need someone who knows how to govern in a crisis, not someone who’s going to need training wheels the moment they walk into the governor’s office,” Becerra said, touting his record of clashing with Trump during his time as the California attorney general.

Both Becerra and Mahan were late additions to the debate stage, having seen their support rise after the implosion of Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign. Steyer, who has leaned on his personal fortune to blanket the airwaves and push himself to the top of the Democratic pack, has angled for the progressive mantle, casting himself as “the billionaire who wants to tax other billionaires”.

Porter, a protege of progressive senator Elizabeth Warren, argued that she uniquely understood the financial strain millions of Californians faced. “I’m not like them,” she said. “I’m like you – a mom fighting for a better future for California.”

As they angled to distinguish themselves, several of the Democrats took shots at Steyer, who has led the Democratic pack. Mahan remarked that the “only housing Tom Steyer’s built has been private prisons and ICE detention centers,” repeating criticism of Steyer’s past business interests and investments. Steyer has expressed remorse over his former hedge fund’s past investments. On stage Wednesday, Steyer reminded voters that he was the only billionaire on the ballot, but that billionaires were spending heavily to defeat him, including many Silicon Valley leaders who are backing Mahan.

During the hour-long exchange, the candidates were pressed on some of the major issues facing their campaigns. Porter addressed a contentious exchange, captured on video, with a staffer, acknowledging that it was “not the right way to treat someone”. “I work hard with my team to deliver for Californians,” she said.

Mahan defended his tech ties and his record, arguing that as mayor of the largest city in Silicon Valley he would bring a unique understanding of the promise and peril of artificial intelligence to regulatory debates. He vowed to be an independent voice in Sacramento, playing up his readiness to “take on the establishment within my own party”.

Becerra was asked whether he should have done more as chair of the Democratic caucus to address “rumors” about Swalwell’s behavior. “Rumors are not facts,” he said. He applauded the women who came forward and shared their stories. “Today Eric Swalwell was facing accountability,” he said. Swalwell, who resigned from Congress last week, has vigorously denied the assault allegations.

Bianco, questioned about his recent decision to seize more than half a million ballots cast in a November special election from county election officials, insisted the probe was a “very very basic, normal investigation”. Since the state supreme court intervened to halt his investigation, Bianco claimed: “We’re never going to know if our elections are secure.”

Hilton, meanwhile, insisted Trump’s endorsement was a strength, even though nearly two-thirds of Californians disapprove of the president. “It will benefit every Californian to have a governor who is a partner on these issues with the President and his team,” he contended.

The state’s next governor confronts an increasingly pessimistic electorate, concerned about affordability and bracing for a worse economic future, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. “We have the highest cost of living in the country because we have had one party Democrat, progressive rule for decades that is destroying the state,” Bianco said. But despite the malaise, a Republican candidate still faces a massive uphill battle in a state where they are outnumbered by Democrats two to one.

The recent upheaval in the race did little to ease Democrats’ fears that a failure to consolidate the field might produce the once-unthinkable prospect of two Republicans advancing to the November general election in the country’s largest blue state.

Under California’s “jungle primary” system, the top two vote-getters advance to the November election, regardless of party. Bianco, when asked if he would support Hilton in a general election match-up against a Democrat, said he would not because he believed they would both advance. All of the other candidates said they would support the nominee from their party.

The state party chair, Rusty Hicks, has been urging low-polling Democrats to exit the race, even though at this late stage their names will still appear on the June ballot, as will Swalwell’s. On Monday, Betty Yee, a former state controller, suspended her campaign for governor and endorsed Steyer.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and State Supt Tony Thurmond, both Democrats, failed to qualify for the Wednesday night debate.