The two main candidates for the governorship of California, being vacated by the “governator” Arnold Schwarzenegger this year, are set to go head-to-head in the final debate tonight.
Democratic candidate Jerry Brown and Republican Meg Whitman both go into the final debate with controversial issues over their heads. Whitman for allegedly employing an illegal worker in her house, and Brown for employing a staffer who used sexist language when referring to Whitman.
The debate is to be moderated by veteran journalist Tom Brokaw, who will be charged with getting the candidates to explore new territory in their campaigns and detail their positions.
Brown is shown as slightly ahead in the polls, but his campaign was rocked last week when a recording surfaced of a staffer referring to Whitman as a “whore” in reference to her bid to gain the endorsement of the law enforcement unions by exempting them from her planned pension reforms.
Whitman has not been without controversy either, and her whopping $150 million spending ($121 million of that her own money) has not saved her from criticism after it emerged that she may have knowingly employed an illegal worker as a housekeeper
The debate, held at Dominican University in San Rafael, is a chance for the two candidates to step away from the controversy and focus on matters of policy and reform. Whitman will be under pressure to answer the question as to why she gave an exemption to the law enforcement unions. Brown will be under pressure to stay on topic, as he operates un-scripted.
