Democrat Xavier Becerra entered the race to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom with one of the longest résumés in the field — more than three decades in the U.S. House, four years as California’s attorney general, and a cabinet post as President Joe Biden’s health and human services secretary. For the first year of his campaign, that experience did not translate into momentum. But in the final stretch before the June 2 primary, Becerra has found a second wind.
After Swalwell’s departure from the race, Becerra’s once-anemic fundraising swelled and he won endorsements from influential labor groups and Latino state leaders. He has since become the prime target of attacks during debates, a signal that his Democratic rivals see him as the candidate with momentum. Some observers say the party is gravitating toward Becerra as a perceived safe choice.
“He has this breadth of experience that none of the other candidates have,” said Matt Barreto, faculty director of the University of California, Los Angeles, Voting Rights Project, which Becerra partnered with in a recent lawsuit. “What that means is that he has the ability to portray himself to the voters as having been through the fight.”
Becerra’s campaign message is straightforward. “The governor’s office is not a place with training wheels,” he has said repeatedly, arguing that only his depth of experience prepares him to lead the nation’s most populous state.
That record, however, has drawn sustained fire. Rivals have spotlighted the federal indictment of Becerra’s former chief of staff, who pleaded guilty to stealing Becerra’s campaign funds. Another person linked to the case also pleaded guilty Thursday. Becerra has not been implicated in the scheme, but Democrat Katie Porter this week called him “too much of a risk.” Becerra has dismissed the criticism as campaign mudslinging. “We’re going to talk about the truth and we’re going to move forward,” he told reporters this week.
Billionaire Tom Steyer, one of Becerra’s Democratic rivals, has repeatedly attacked Becerra’s tenure as health secretary, focusing on the influx of unaccompanied migrant children who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021. The children were processed in tents before being taken to emergency shelters run by the Department of Health and Human Services. Some of those shelters were criticized by child welfare advocates as having inadequate conditions.
A New York Times investigation in 2023 found that the health department failed to thoroughly vet sponsors, and many of the children went on to work exploitative jobs. It also found Becerra pushed to move children through the system faster and that the agency could not reach tens of thousands of minors after they left federal care. Steyer has argued the federal government “lost” children on Becerra’s watch. Historically, the federal government has not tracked unaccompanied children once they are released to the care of an adult.
Becerra has called the criticism “Trump talking points.” Some California immigrant rights groups and members of the Biden administration have defended his record. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Becerra was largely out of the spotlight, with others like Dr. Anthony Fauci acting as the public face of the administration’s response. Xochitl Hinojosa, a former spokesperson in Biden’s Department of Justice, said on CNN earlier this month that she did not have faith in Becerra’s leadership abilities. “He was not effective in government,” she said.
On policy, Becerra has made affordability a central piece of his platform. He has promised to declare a state of emergency to address the high costs of living and housing shortages. He says the emergency declaration would allow him to freeze home insurance rates as Californians struggle to obtain or afford coverage amid the state’s worsening wildfires. Most candidates running for insurance commissioner argue a governor cannot legally do that because the insurance industry is regulated by an elected commissioner. Becerra insists he would have the authority. “I’d be willing to go to court to tell you that I could call that freeze,” Becerra said in a recent debate.
In Congress, Becerra helped pass the Affordable Care Act and defended it against Republican attacks as California’s attorney general. He is known for championing abortion rights and holds the endorsement of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California. But after previously supporting eliminating private health insurance in favor of a government-run system, he has appeared to change his position. Pressed by rivals to give a clear stance, he said he is focused on expanding coverage. “Californians don’t care what you call it, so long as they have affordable health care,” he said.
Becerra’s campaign has also pursued an aggressive Latino outreach strategy. He embraced TikTok early with a focus on Spanish-speaking voters. When he and other candidates of color were excluded from a planned debate due to low polling and fundraising, Latino creator Jay Gonzalez invited them to speak to his followers, and Becerra accepted. Gonzalez has since been hired by the campaign. Other creators are encouraging their followers to back Becerra and showing up at his rallies. Some of Becerra’s social media refers to him as “Tío Xavier” — Spanish for “Uncle Xavier” — portraying him as a familiar face voters can trust.
Latinos are the largest ethnic group in California but typically do not turn out in large numbers for primaries. Mobilizing that part of the electorate could be a worthwhile strategy, said Kim Nalder, director of the Project for an Informed Electorate at California State University, Sacramento. “There’s some evidence that folks — if they have choices that are close like in a primary — will choose based on identity groups, sometimes,” she said. Becerra, if elected, would be California’s first Latino governor since the late 1800s.
At a recent Becerra rally in Sacramento, several voters pointed to his experience in multiple levels of government as their reason for supporting him. Ruben Hoyos, who voted for Becerra despite being more aligned with Steyer’s progressive platform, said Becerra “knows how to navigate through the complexities of running a government.”
The race to replace Newsom has been unsettled, with top state Democrats urging lower-polling candidates to drop out. That initially included Becerra. But after Swalwell’s exit, Becerra’s campaign has highlighted his understated demeanor in an effort to appeal to voters looking for a drama-free choice. With voting underway and the primary weeks away, Becerra’s decades-long record is being tested from every direction — by rivals who call it a liability and by supporters who see it as the only credential that matters.