Seven of the umpteen candidates running for California governor are confirmed to appear at a debate happening this evening in San Francisco's Bayview, and being broadcast live. But two of the more prominent ones will be absent.

KTVU will be airing the first statewide debate in this year's race for governor of California starting at 5:30 pm Tuesday, broadcasting from the Ruth Williams Opera House in SF's Bayview. The debate will also be airing on KTTV Fox 11 in Los Angeles, and will be cohosted by KTVU anchor Andre Senior and KTTV anchor Maria Tellez.

We first learned of the debate last week, and as we noted, we're a mere five months away from the June primary when a major piece of this election will be decided — if not fully decided, in the case of one Republican and one Democrat coming out victorious, given the usually slim chances Republicans have in statewide races here.

But here's the problem: There are so many Democrats in this race, unless one or two emerge as dominant in the next couple of months, we could end up seeing them splitting the vote such that the top two vote-getters are both Republican — Fox News contributor Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco being the likely two. California has a primary system where the top vote-getters, regardless of party, move on to the general election, and hopefully the Dems who are trailing in the polls will bow out in due time.

Confirmed for tonight's debate are Hilton, along with six Democrats: San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Controller Betty Yee, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary and Attorney General of California Xavier Becerra, billionaire businessman Tom Steyer, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, a seven-term congressman from the East Bay, who announced his candidacy in November on the Jimmy Kimmel show, will not be making it, and neither will former Congresswoman Katie Porter. Both cited scheduling conflicts, as did Sheriff Bianco.

Porter has kept something of a low-ish profile since a tense on-air interview in October, in which she took issue with an interviewer's questions and nearly stormed out, turned into something of a gaffe and was seized on by Fox News. And, subsequently, another video gaffe from several years ago, in which she was heard speaking angrily to a staffer to "get out of my fucking shot," also went viral.

The latest Emerson College poll has a fairly neck-and-neck four-way race taking shape between Hilton, Bianco, Swalwell, and Porter, with all the other candidates polling below 10% — and with 31% of voters still undecided.

As KTTV anchor Maria Tellez says of the debate, "In a race that is so tight, where viewers and voters are still trying to figure out what they think about the candidates, this is a really good opportunity for candidates to differentiate themselves."

Tellez adds, "This race has so many names in it, and it’s so important for our viewers to take the time. Whomever gets the keys to California is going to drive the economy and housing affordability for the next four years."

Previously: SF Hosts Governor's Race Debate This Tuesday Night, at Bayview Opera House