A new contender has entered the 2026 California governor race, adding more intrigue as people wait for Kamala Harris to decide if she’s going to toss her pantsuit into the ring for the coveted position. Xavier Becerra, 67, the former health and human services secretary in President Joe Biden’s administration, made his intentions known on Wednesday, April 2, saying in a statement, “The California Dream is slipping away.”
Becerra Jumps Into the California Governor Race
Gov. Gavin Newsom is preparing his swan song as his term-limited time in office is ending, but Democrats aren’t exactly lining up to vie for the position. At least not until they hear from Harris what she plans to do. Becerra, though, said he will remain in the race no matter what the former VP eventually decides and despite their longtime working relationship.
“What I can tell you with full confidence is, it doesn’t matter who gets in – I’m in,” Becerra said in an interview.
Becerra and Harris’ connection goes back to the 2016 election when she had been the Golden State’s attorney general and left it for the Senate. Becerra had been a congressman at the time and stepped in to fill Harris’ platform sneakers. In 2021, when Becerra was confirmed for his Cabinet position, the former presidential hopeful administered his oath of office. “My wife held the Bible, and she swore me in,” he recalled.
The two often worked together on various issues, including women’s health care and reproductive rights. During the 2024 presidential election, Becerra campaigned for her. “I was there giving more than 100 percent for our ticket, so I’ve for several years had an opportunity to work closely with her,” he said.
An Emerson College poll showed that 57% of California voters would support Harris if she ran for governor. However, this survey was completed before the former secretary stepped into the race.
Becerra said his focus will be on the cost of living, describing the Golden State as being in an “affordability crisis.” He spoke of his immigrant parents in terms of their working life. “The California dream is getting tougher and tougher for a construction worker and a clerical worker. We’ve got to fight for that.”
The Governor Competition
If Harris decides to join Becerra in the race for governor, battling to be the state’s top dog will be two Democrats who both were in the same presidential Cabinet and served as California attorney general. Other contenders, so far, include US House member Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis. On the Republican side, there’s Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Trump supporter who blames Democrats for high housing prices and the homeless crisis.
Emerson College’s poll found that 9% of respondents support Porter, 4% for Villaraigosa and Kounalakis, and 17% are undecided. Without Harris on the ballot, 45% were undecided while 21% supported Porter, 9% Villaraigosa, and 5% Kounalakis. It will be interesting to see how those percentages change with Becerra now in the mix.
It is no secret that Becerra is not a fan of President Donald Trump. During the commander-in-chief’s first term in office, the former secretary sued Trump 120 times. An attorney, the political hopeful has built a reputation for suing the Republican administration more than anyone else. In his bid for governor, Becerra said he is ready to “take on bullies who get in our way,” an implied reference to the president and his policies.
Becerra has a tough fight ahead of him, whether or not Harris decides to join the governor race. He received a lot of criticism over how he handled the COVID pandemic as well as how he dealt with the influx of migrant children. In 2023, he, along with Harris and Alejandro Mayorkas, were called out for “their role in facilitating the abuse of children through federal agencies and demand they be held accountable,” Liberty Nation News reported in “HHS Whistleblower: Govt a ‘Middleman’ in Border Child Trafficking.”
Also in 2023, Becerra, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Department of Justice employees, and others in the Biden administration were chastised for suppressing and censoring information and were temporarily banned from using social media. As LNN reported, US District Court Judge Terry Doughty ruled that “government agencies and officials have demonstrated a willingness to coordinate suppression and engage in censorship with Silicon Valley, and this is a direct violation of the First Amendment.” The judge wrote, “During … a period perhaps best characterized by widespread doubt and uncertainty, the United States Government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth.’”
Becerra did have some success working on Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act and earned praise from those who approved of his support of abortion rights. In 2018, Becerra won nearly 7.8 million votes when he ran for attorney general, which was more than Newsom got when he was running for governor that year. Being the son of an immigrant could attract votes, but he is not the only Latino running for the office, a challenge to his goal to be the first Latino governor in 150 years. That group makes up a majority of residents in California.
Becerra faces Latino contenders Villaraigosa and state schools chief Tony Thurmond. Villaraigosa and Becerra ran for mayor of Los Angeles in 2001; at that time, Becerra won only 5% of the vote and was eliminated in the first round. Villaraigosa won 46% of the vote but lost to James Hahn in the runoff.
The dynamics of the California governor may change dramatically by the summertime, when Harris said she would make a decision on whether she will run. Villaraigosa said at an event in Sacramento last month that he would run no matter who is in the race, but that certain people need to make up their mind. “The governor’s race is not going to be a coronation,” he said. “The governor’s race is not a stepping stone to another job. If you want to be governor – any of the candidates – then get in the race. The time is now.”
