Gavin Newsom will debate GOP opponent for governor on NFL Sunday. Who will tune in?

For the first and likely only time before voters cast their ballots on Nov. 8 for California governor, Incumbent Gavin Newsom will face off against his Republican opponent, Sen. Brian Dahle, in a debate Sunday afternoon.

But who will tune in to the radio debate on NFL Sunday — and whether it will have any affect on what polls indicate will be a blowout in the Democratic governor’s favor — remains to be seen. Many voters will likely have already turned in their mail-in ballots, which went out earlier this month.

The debate will air live at 1 p.m. on KQED Public Radio 88.5, with a live video stream available on the station’s website. Both the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Chargers will be playing games that begin at 1:25 p.m.

“If there’s a debate on NFL Sunday, is that a tree falling in the woods with no one to see or hear it?” said Rob Stutzman, a Republican consultant and former communications director for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“I bet (Dahle) will do well and will probably bring up issues that Newsom is legitimately vulnerable on, but given the math on the state’s (voter) registration and the lack of attention that’ll be given to the debate, I don’t think it’ll have much of any impact on the race,” he added.

Dahle, a Republican farmer from rural Lassen County, is vying to oust Newsom out of a second, four-year term in the governor’s office. Newsom was first elected to the state’s highest public office in November 2018. He then handily fended off a Republican-led recall effort in September 2021 when he secured 62% of voter support.

A recent poll from the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley found that 52% of likely California voters approved of Newsom’s work in the governor’s office. When asked how they would vote on the 2022 governor’s race, Newsom led his opponent by a 2-1 margin.

With hardly any name recognition and limited resources for his campaign, Dahle faces a serious uphill battle in the largely blue state of California. Newsom has out-raised Dahle in direct campaign contributions by tenfold — $22 million compared to $2.3 million. The last Republican to win a race for California governor was Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006.

But for those looking for a change, Dahle offers voters a stark alternative to the state’s current leader.

While Newsom pushes to make California a sanctuary state for abortion, Dahle is opposed to efforts to increase abortion access. Where Newsom wants to levy a new tax on oil companies to address the state’s high gas prices, Dahle is advocating to suspend the state gas tax that’s already on the books. Dahle is opposed to COVID-19 vaccination mandates and wants to use state funding to help boost local law enforcement agencies.

“We can take back our state for all you hard-working Californians,” Dahle said in a taped message on Thursday urging Californians to get out to vote. After Sunday’s debate, Dahle plans to drive a semi-truck with a large campaign banner from the Bay Area to San Diego, where he’ll be hosting a rally the following weekend.

So far, Newsom has exerted a minuscule amount of energy going after his opponent. The last time he tweeted about Dahle was June 6, the day before the primary, when he called him out for being “anti-science” and “pro-Trump.”

Instead, he has focused his attention in recent weeks berating Republican leaders in states like Texas and Florida and promoting his proposal to charge a windfall tax on “greedy” oil companies. He’s also used his rank to urge voters to endorse Proposition 1, which would enshrine the right to abortion in the California constitution, and to reject Proposition 30, which would impose a tax on a person’s income above $2 million to fund climate programs like subsidize zero-emissions vehicles and wildfire prevention.

“Its the most nonexistent governor’s race that I’ve seen in my lifetime,” Stutzman said, pointing to Dahle’s lack of resources and Newsom’s lack of interest.

Lila Tavelli, 41, of San Francisco, said she hasn’t paid much attention to the race and wasn’t aware there was a debate planned. Tavelli always planned to vote for Newsom, as she has in the past.

“For the most part, I like what he’s doing with the state,” she said.

But for the few undecided voters in the middle, this debate could help Dahle get his message out and wrangle a few more supporters.

Arlan Meacher, 32, said he plans to tune in to the debate, though he’s fairly certain that he’ll be one of a few.

“I find it a little silly if there’s one time slot in the whole week that Californians will have very little interest in this, it’s 1 o’clock on Sunday,” he said.

Meacher, who grew up in Dahle’s district in rural Northern California, is leaning toward voting for the Republican state senator but it would be the first time he’s cast a ballot for a Republican and he’s still keeping his options open.

“It’s easy to have a blind spot when you are constantly thinking about how the grass is always greener on the other side,” he said, adding that he disagreed with how Newsom handled the pandemic and school closures. “Maybe there is something that I’m missing.”

This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Gavin Newsom will debate GOP opponent for governor on NFL Sunday. Who will tune in?."