In summary
The former California attorney general noted that he had experience fighting Trump after suing his first administration more than 100 times.
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.”
“Can we do that today with this affordability crisis?” Becerra said, speaking directly to the camera. “Very tough. But we’ve taken on these tough fights.”
That experience forms the backbone of Becerra’s initial pitch to voters, which does not include any specific policy proposals.
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 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’s campaign confirmed to CalMatters that he plans to seek the governorship even if Harris runs.
“What I can tell you with full confidence is, it doesn’t matter who gets in — I’m in,” Becerra told The New York Times.
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.