Becerra weighs exit from Biden administration for California gubernatorial bid

SACRAMENTO, California — Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is considering leaving the Biden administration to mount a run for California governor in 2026, people briefed on his deliberations told POLITICO.

Becerra and supporters have had conversations over the past weeks where the secretary and former California attorney general indicated to fellow Democratic officials and operatives that he would leave Washington after the November election and join the crowded field to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom in two years.

The people were granted anonymity to describe private conversations, which they characterized as more serious in recent weeks.

Becerra has parked nearly $1.55 million that’s usable in the governor’s race in a committee for Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2030.

He spoke at an event Tuesday in San Francisco about the state of healthcare in the U.S.

“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 yelled “governor!” as he paused between questions.

When asked by POLITICO after the event if he planned to run, Becerra sidestepped the question.

"It's a blessing to hear that someone is saying that I'm running for governor because I don't know who they are," Becerra said. "I am secretary of HHS and, by law, I have to be secretary of HHS and nothing else. So I'm gonna do my job as best I can. It's a thrill, I think my mom would be happy to hear that someone thinks I can run for governor as well," he said.

When pressed, Becerra said he wasn't making calls to supporters and then an aide abruptly cut off the questioning.

Becerra, 66, has been a road warrior for Biden, ricocheting across the country in recent months to discuss health issues crucial to the administration in 2024, especially on the need to protect abortion rights. The return home for the Sacramento native would mark the culmination of a frustrating and at times rocky tenure atop the nation’s health agency. For President Joe Biden it would be the latest sign that, should he win a second term in November, he would have to restock his ranks with Cabinet nominees who could face difficult nomination fights.

Becerra’s impending departure also could represent a blow to the president as Democrats struggle to court Latino voters across 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 that’s been notable for the lack of turnover among its department heads.

Within the Biden administration, the health secretary is largely viewed as genial and a willing team player in selling the president’s agenda, spending much of his tenure outside of Washington promoting a range of health policies. His early difficulties in managing an influx of children at the southern border in 2021 cost him influence in the White House. Subsequently he often played a secondary role in policymaking decisions that shaped the administration’s health agenda.

At a POLITICO Health Summit in March, Becerra seemed open to a policy passed by San Francisco voters that would require drug screening for welfare recipients, saying “we should be willing to consider anything that helps us tackle this drug addiction crisis.”

Though Becerra has since played a larger role in promoting the White House’s efforts to lower drug prices and defend abortion rights, there’s been little expectation among Democrats close to the administration that Biden would seek to bring him back for a second term — or that Becerra would want to stay on the job another four years. Already, some in Democratic health circles have begun speculating about who might be in the running for HHS secretary should there be a vacancy following the election.

Becerra had been under consideration for other roles in Biden’s Cabinet before accepting the HHS job in 2021. At the time, the Stanford graduate won national acclaim for overseeing the Golden State’s torrent of legal fights 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 attorney general by way of appointment from former Gov. Jerry Brown and spent nearly 25 years in the House of Representatives culminating in a stint as chair of the Democratic caucus.

Becerra had a poor showing in a Los Angeles mayoral race decades ago, but he’s long had his eye on higher statewide offices in California. In 2016, he mulled a run for U.S. Senate — the race that Harris ultimately won.

California’s governor’s race in the post-Newsom era presents a new opportunity. Already, the field is bursting at the seams with Democrats. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis was the first to declare her candidacy last year and has built a fundraising lead. Former Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond followed and have amassed endorsements from state and local officials. Former state Controller Betty Yee formally jumped into the race late last month, and Attorney General Rob Bonta is poised to enter the contest. Bonta arguably would most be impacted by a run from Becerra because both would run on their records as attorneys general.