On August 16, the Service Employees International Union held a California gubernatorial debate in Sacramento. It was not broadcast, except internally to various SEIU meeting halls. Seven candidates participated, including Butch Ware, the Green Party candidate. The other participants were all Democrats: Toni Atkins, Xavier Becerra, Stephen Cloobeck, Katie Porter, Tony Thurmond, and Betty Yee.

The SEIU invited certain other candidates, but they declined. One of the candidates who declined is Steve Hilton, the Republican who is near the top of polls. Another who declined is Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa.

On August 21, the New Jersey Green Party submitted 2,434 signatures on its substitute gubernatorial petition. New Jersey is the only state that requires an entire new petition when the group that had submitted the original petition needs to replace the original candidate. The requirement is 2,000 signatures for statewide office. The Green Party original gubernatorial candidate dropped out because of health reasons.

On August 21, the Federal Election Commission filed this brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in National Republican Senatorial Committee v FEC, 24-621. Both sides in the case agree that the federal McCain-Feingold law that prohibits unlimited political party spending in support of its own nominees violates the First Amendment.