SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra is considering leaving the Biden administration to run for governor of California in 2026, people briefed on his deliberations told POLITICO.
Becerra and his supporters have engaged in conversations in recent weeks in which the secretary and California’s former attorney general signaled to fellow Democratic officials and operatives that he would leave Washington after the November election and join the crowded field to to succeed the governor. Gavin Newsom in two years.
The people were granted anonymity to describe private conversations, which they described as more serious in recent weeks.
Becerra has parked nearly $1.55 million usable in the governor’s race on a 2030 commission for Superintendent of Public Instruction.
He spoke at an event in San Francisco on Tuesday about the state of healthcare in the US
“I miss California,” Becerra said at the start of a talk at Manny’s in the Mission, a watering hole for political types.
Becerra later smiled and nodded silently when someone in the audience shouted “Governor!” called out. as he paused between questions.
When POLITICO asked after the event whether he planned to run for office, Becerra sidestepped the question.
“It’s a blessing to hear someone say I’m running for governor because I don’t know who they are,” Becerra said. “I’m secretary of HHS and by law I have to be secretary of HHS and nothing else. So I’m going to do my job the best I can. It’s exciting, I think my mom would be happy to hear that someone I think I can also run for governor,” he said.
When pressed, Becerra said he was not calling supporters, and an aide abruptly interrupted the questioning.
Becerra, 66, has been a road warrior Biden, which have been ricocheting around the country in recent months to discuss health issues crucial to government in 2024, especially the need to protect abortion rights. The return home for the Sacramento resident would mark the culmination of a frustrating and sometimes shaky tenure at the state health agency. For President Joe Biden, this would be the latest sign that, should he win a second term in November, he would need to fill his ranks with Cabinet nominees who could face tough nomination fights.
Becerra’s impending departure could also be a blow to the president as Democrats struggle to court Latino voters in the West and other key states. Becerra is the first Latino to lead HHS. It would also make him just one of a handful of Cabinet members to leave during a first Biden term notable for the lack of turnover among department heads.
Within the Biden administration, the health secretary is largely seen as a brilliant and willing team player in selling the president’s agenda, spending much of his term away from Washington promoting a range of health policies. His early problems managing the influx of children at the southern border in 2021 cost him influence in the White House. Subsequently, he often played a minor role in policy decisions that shaped the government’s health agenda.
At a POLITICO Health Summit in March, Becerra appeared open to a policy passed by San Francisco voters that would require drug screening for welfare recipients, saying “we must be willing to consider anything that will help us address this drug addiction crisis to catch.”
Although Becerra has since played a larger role in advancing White House efforts to lower drug prices and defend abortion rights, there was little expectation among Democrats close to the administration that Biden would try to bring him back for a second term – or that Becerra would. wants to continue working for another four years. Some in Democratic health circles have already begun to speculate about who could be in the running for the position of HHS secretary should a vacancy arise after the election.
Becerra was considered for other roles in Biden’s Cabinet before accepting the HHS job in 2021. At the time, the Stanford graduate rose to national prominence for overseeing the Golden State’s flurry of legal battles with the Trump administration, namely his defense of a Republican lawsuit. Challenging Obamacare. Before returning to Washington, Becerra succeeded Vice President Kamala Harris as California’s attorney general, through an appointment by former Governor Jerry Brown, and spent nearly 25 years in the House of Representatives, culminating in a stint as chairman of the Democratic caucus.
Becerra had a poor showing in a Los Angeles mayoral race decades ago, but he has long had his eye on higher statewide offices in California. In 2016, he considered running for the U.S. Senate — the race that Harris ultimately won.
The battle for California’s governor in the post-Newsom era offers a new opportunity. The Democratic field is already bursting at the seams. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis was the first to file for office last year and has built a lead in fundraising. Former Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond followed suit and have rallied support from state and local officials. Former state Comptroller Betty Yee formally entered the race late last month and Attorney General Rob Bonta is ready to enter the race. Bonta would likely be most affected by a Becerra run because both would appear on their records as attorneys general.