From the outset of the hourlong forum–the only debate of the gubernatorial campaign–Brown went aggressively on the offensive against Wilson, telling viewers across the state that California “cannot afford four more years of tax-and-spend Republicanism.”

Wilson, appearing at times tentative and halting, told state Treasurer Brown: “Kathleen, you lack the courage to be governor” because she had not offered detailed budget cuts when the state was going through a fiscal crisis.

The economy and illegal immigration dominated most of the discussion. Brown, generally composed and deliberate, hammered at Wilson repeatedly about his handling of the budget and the economy, over and over touting her 62-page plan to return California to prosperity.

Wilson returned to his tough stand against illegal immigration in response to almost every question asked by the panel of three political reporters, always mentioning his support for Proposition 187, the anti-illegal immigration ballot measure, and the cost of the state providing services to illegal immigrants.

On the tax issue, Wilson contended that Democrat Brown’s economic plan contains massive tax increases. Brown disputed the claim.

But the dramatic highlight of the Sacramento encounter came when an emotional Brown turned to Wilson and said she resented his persistent allegation that she would be soft on violent criminals. She said he could not imagine what it was like to be a mother having to comfort a daughter who had been raped. Later she said her daughter had been the victim of a date rape several years ago but that no charges had been filed.

The emotional moment came about halfway through the telecast as Brown sought to blunt Wilson’s attack on her personal opposition to the death penalty and answer questions about how tough she would be on crime.

Brown said: “You know, Pete, you’ve misrepresented my positions on crime throughout this campaign.

“But I have to tell you what I resent most of all is you questioning, questioning, my commitment to be tough on crime. . . .

“And you cannot imagine what it’s like to be a mother waiting at home late at night for your kids to come home, waiting for your daughter to come home in the evening and having her come home and comfort her because she’s been raped.

“Or your son called to come home from school while I’m working to say, ‘Come home, because I’ve been robbed.’ . . . You can’t understand that. So don’t question my commitment to be tough on crime.”

Wilson gave no quarter. “Well I have to question it Kathleen, because despite that moving performance,” he began, going on to attack the death penalty record of her father and brother, both of whom were governors of California.

Observers at first were not certain whether Brown was relating personal experience or hypothetical incidents, because she had never discussed the rape or mugging before.

But after the debate, Brown disclosed that she was describing the date rape of one of her daughters. She said no police report was filed and no arrests were made. She said her son Zeb was mugged in the late 1980s in New York City.

Asked why she made the disclosures now, Brown said she was “sick and tired of this governor . . . using cheap political tricks” to suggest she would be weak on crime.

Wilson said after the debate that he felt sympathy for the Brown family in suffering what must have been “a terrible experience.”

But he did not back down on his campaign theme that he is the only candidate the voters can trust on the crime issue.

Wilson added: “It makes it more mystifying to me what I will charitably term her tardiness” in working to toughen laws against violent criminals.

Brown was pleased with her performance in the debate and challenged Wilson to more meetings between now and the Nov. 8 election. Wilson, who is the front-runner in opinion polls, said no.

The 61-year-old Wilson said he was pleased with the debate and said Brown was “out of touch” on the economics issue and in her booklet, which he referred to as a “pamphlet.”

“She tried to sell the plan,” he said. “I don’t think it will work.”

In the selling, the 49-year-old Brown had some of the best lines of the hour.

She accused Wilson of lying when he said during the 1990 campaign that he was the only candidate who could balance the budget without a tax increase. Making a play on former President George Bush’s broken promise, she said: “Don’t read his lips. Read my plan.”

Brown turned around an old Republican epithet about “tax and spend” Democrats in Congress when she labeled Wilson a “tax and spend” Republican.

Wilson agreed to a $7-billion tax increase in 1991 in order to get the state through an unexpectedly severe fiscal crisis. State spending was cut by a like amount. Brown has said in the past that there was no alternative to raising taxes that year.

Brown had the advantage of drawing the first question, determined by a coin toss. Although the format called for no opening or closing statements, Brown used her question–about why she had fallen so far in the polls–as an opportunity to deliver a broad opening statement about her plan.

Brown said: “My campaign has just begun,” apparently referring to the release of the economic plan with fanfare a week ago.

There was no attempt by the moderator to force either candidate back to the subject of the questions being asked and both candidates often strayed.

When Wilson was asked if he would serve a full four years, he said simply, “Yes,” and then used the rest of his time to talk about the costs of illegal immigration to California.

At one point Wilson was asked what he would do if he was a school principal and Proposition 187 became law. Would he go through classes and pull out children who were ineligible for public education because of their illegal status?

Wilson declined a direct answer, saying that that provision of the measure will have to be tested in the U.S. Supreme Court first.

Brown, who opposes the ballot initiative, said several times that Proposition 187 “will make a bad situation worse.”

One independent analyst who watched the encounter thought Brown had the best performance, but questioned whether it was enough to close Wilson’s lead in the polls.

Richard Brody, emeritus professor of political science at Stanford, said: “If people have questions about Kathleen Brown’s grasp (of issues), which is often the rap on her campaign–that she’s an empty suit–it seems to me she did better than people would have expected.”

Times staff writer Dan Morain also contributed to this report.