California Recall Debate Turns Weird As GOP Candidate Gets Hit With Subpoena

A debate among Republican candidates in California ’s upcoming recall election for governor took a turn for the bizarre when one of the participants was served legal papers in the middle of the event. 

John Cox , who was the GOP nominee in the 2018 gubernatorial election, was hit with the subpoena related to unpaid campaign debts as he began to speak: 

The Los Angeles Times said the papers were related to unpaid bills by his previous campaign, in which he lost to Gov. Gavin Newsom by more than 20 percentage points. 

A judge ruled in February that Cox failed to pay nearly $100,000 for political ads and legal fees. He told the newspaper after the debate that his creditor “didn’t deserve” to be paid. 

Cox is one of dozens of candidates in next month’s election in which voters will first be asked if Newsom should be recalled and then who should replace him if he is. 

Polls show a tight race .