Dems jockeying for Newsom endorsement give passing grades on issue that ignited 'poop map' crisis

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. California accounts for almost 30% of the country’s homeless population. (Credit: NewsNation) None of the Democratic candidates running to replace outgoing California Governor Gavin Newsom gave him below a B-minus grade on combating homelessness, a moment that Republicans sharing the debate stage on Wednesday evening called a laughable evaluation of the state’s problem. "My goodness, of course it's an F," Republican candidate Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, said. "It shames our state, the situation with homelessness. We have about 10% of the U.S. population, around 50% of the country's homeless." The moment forced the four Democratic candidates to weigh in on efforts to unwind a crisis that has only worsened in recent years despite billions in funding. It also highlighted a reluctance among Democrats to critique Newsom, who has yet to make an e