Brown-Kashkari debate: GOP candidate for governor might swing for fences tonight

By Josh Richman and Jessica Calefati

Staff writers

Picture Neel Kashkari striding to home plate late in the game, shouldering his bat and pointing confidently at the outfield lights.

California's Republican candidate for governor, who is taking on Jerry Brown in the Democrat's bid to win an unprecedented fourth term, must swing for the fences in Thursday night's first -- and probably only -- debate if he has any chance of closing the incumbent's big lead, state political experts say.

A new Field Poll finds Brown leads Kashkari by 16 points among likely voters. With less than nine weeks to go before Election Day, and less than five before voting by mail begins, Kashkari, 41, still suffers from low recognition: Four in 10 voters still have no opinion of him, while more than 90 percent have an opinion of Brown, 76, who has been part of California's political scene for five decades.

California Republican gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari, June 3, 2014, Newport Beach, Calif. (Chris Carlson / AP)

"Kashkari needs to make a lot of news and a lot of noise and hope for lots and lots of zingers and ... he really needs to pray for an error by Jerry Brown" -- something that will be repeated on the nightly news or in campaign ads, said Thad Kousser, a UC San Diego political-science professor.

"Anything other than a debacle for Jerry Brown is a victory for Jerry Brown," Kousser said.

Mark DiCamillo, the Field Poll's director, agreed that the debate will be "more about Brown's performance."

"Because Kashkari is not very well-known, most voters are making a yes/no vote on Brown, and he's pretty well-positioned for that," DiCamillo said.

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Brown-Kashkari debate: GOP candidate for governor might swing for fences tonight