Former U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra secured a spot on the November ballot in California after campaigning on his experience in state and national government.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democrat Xavier Becerra advanced to California’s general election for governor on Friday after emerging as an experienced choice to lead the nation’s most populous state and succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Becerra drew on his more than 35 years in public office, including as U.S. attorney general and health secretary, to argue that he was the most qualified candidate in a crowded field.
“The people of the great state of California, in the greatest nation on earth, have spoken — loudly and proudly,” Becerra said in a statement. “We will never back down. November, here we come.”
It was not yet clear who Becerra would face in the general election. His main rivals came in Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator backed by President Donald Trump, and Democrat Tom Steyer, a billionaire climate activist who poured $215 million of his own money into his campaign.
Born and raised in Sacramento to Mexican immigrant parents, Becerra has a wife and three daughters. He has said his family’s immigrant background reflected his “weak” gubernatorial campaign, in which he initially failed to garner significant support before surging in recent months.
After one of the main Democratic contenders, Rep. Eric Swalwell, accused of sexual assault and dropped out of the race, Becerra took advantage of an opening to rally Democratic support. He quickly garnered key endorsements from Latino task forces and legislative leaders.
Becerra has vowed to maintain the mantle of state as a primary antagonist of President Donald Trump. As attorney general, he presented more than 120 legal actions against the first Trump administration on everything from immigration to climate policy.
The president has also been at loggerheads with the state over the counting of withdrawn votes. Trump made baseless claims about the massive fraud on Thursday, and on Friday, federal prosecutors said that opened investigations on charges of electoral fraud. Hilton called on California to limit mail-in ballots to those who request them, rather than sending them to all registered voters.
During the campaign, Becerra’s rivals scrutinized his leadership as health secretary during the COVID-19 pandemic and The crisis of unaccompanied migrant children in 2021, when Becerra’s Department of Health and Human Services was responsible for the shelters where they were housed. Some of them were criticized for having inappropriate living conditionsand there were also concerns about the authorities’ failure to fully verify the sponsors with whom some children were placed.
If elected, Becerra said, he would declare a state of emergency to address high energy costs and housing shortages and freeze home insurance rates.
Although California is one of the nation’s most diverse states, Becerra would be the first Latino to hold the office since the late 1800s.
Newsom was barred by term limits from seeking a third term in office.
By SOPHIE AUSTIN Associated Press
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