Former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra joins the crowded California governor’s race

In summary The former California attorney general noted that he had experience fighting Trump after suing his first administration more than 100 times. Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for WhatMatters to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State. As Californians wait to find out whether one prominent veteran of the Biden administration is running for governor, another jumped into the crowded race on Wednesday. Xavier Becerra, the former attorney general of California and longtime member of Congress who most recently served as secretary of health and human services under President Joe Biden, announced his campaign with a short video in which he promised to “rebuild the California Dream.” In an interview with CalMatters, Becerra lamented that California has become too expensive for working people to live near their jobs and that the experience of his parents, who raised their family on the salaries of a construction worker and a clerical worker, is no longer achievable. “I’m a native son of this state. I’ve done everything I can most of my career for this state. It’s in my blood,” he said. “We’ve reached this break-glass point.” Becerra said that as governor he would work with the building industry to reduce barriers to housing construction and potentially seek to provide more down payment assistance to buyers. But his initial pitch to voters is light on specific policy proposals and heavy on the “tough fights” he’s taken on, including guiding the country through the coronavirus pandemic. “You need someone who knows not just how to lead, but someone with the experience who knows how to deliver the results,” Becerra said. In just over a minute, his announcement video runs through highlights from his more than three decades in politics: helping to pass the Affordable Care Act, negotiating with the pharmaceutical industry to lower prescription drug prices and, as attorney general, suing the first Trump administration more than 100 times, a nod to Democratic voters’ seething anger against the newly reinstalled president. Becerra told CalMatters that if he is elected governor, resisting the second Trump administration would only be as much of a priority as the president makes it. Δ “I didn’t sue the Trump administration 120 times because I wanted to sue him. I sued him because he came after California,” Becerra said. Becerra is the second major Democrat to launch a campaign for governor since former President Kamala Harris hinted that she would not make a decision about her own potential bid until this summer. Katie Porter, the former member of Congress from Orange County, entered the race last month. While the possibility of Harris’s candidacy has scrambled the calculations of some already announced contenders, others are promising to continue regardless of her decision. Becerra said he plans to seek the governorship even if Harris runs. “It doesn’t matter to me who gets in the race, I’m in,” he said. Becerra has more than $1.4 million left from an abandoned re-election bid for attorney general that he can use to launch his gubernatorial campaign. He will need to raise far more to reintroduce himself to voters ahead of the June 2026 primary after four years out of the spotlight of California politics. Other notable Democrats running to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who terms out at the beginning of 2027, include Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Senate leader Toni Atkins, former Controller Betty Yee and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is the highest-profile Republican to enter the race so far. Read more from CalMatters Text Get breaking news on your phone. Download Keep up with the latest via our app. Sign up Receive free updates in your inbox. We’re CalMatters, your nonprofit and nonpartisan news guide. Our journalists are here to empower you and our mission continues to be essential. But we can’t keep doing this without support from readers like you. Please give what you can today. Every gift helps.
Alexei Koseff covers Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Legislature and California government from Sacramento. He joined CalMatters in January 2022 after previously reporting on the Capitol for The Sacramento Bee…
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