Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra speaks during a news conference at the headquarters of HHS June 28, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Former Los Angeles congressman Xavier Becerra announced his candidacy for the 2026 California governor's race Wednesday, joining a crowded field of Democratic candidates.
Becerra, 67, represented the downtown Los Angeles area in the House of Representatives from 1993 to 2017. He was California's attorney general from 2017-21, then was secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration from 2021-25.
"I'm running to be the next governor of California," he posted Wednesday morning on X. "As AG I took on Trump -- and won. As HHS Secretary, I took on Big Pharma -- and won. It's time to do it again for California. Let's rebuild the California Dream for everyone."
Other announced Democratic candidates are former Orange County congresswoman Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, state schools chief Tony Thurmond, former Controller Betty Yee, former state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins and entrepreneur Stephen Cloobeck.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is said to be considering a gubernatorial run, but she has not yet announced her intentions. California has never had a female governor, but it has had a governor of Mexican ancestry. Romualdo Pacheco was the first Latino governor of California in 1875.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is running for the Republican nomination.
Additional reporting by City News Service.
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