Former Biden cabinet member and state attorney general Xavier Becerra announced Wednesday he will run for California governor in 2026.
Becerra, with more than 35 years in public service, made the announcement via news release Wednesday morning, stating he is running "to pull Californians out of a worsening affordability crisis and get our state back on track."
"California is at a crossroads," he said in the release. "From housing to healthcare, childcare to college, working families are facing an affordability crisis. The California Dream is slipping away. I’m running for Governor to fight for that dream, to build a stronger, affordable California for everyone, and to take on bullies who get in our way."
Becerra served as secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden and served as California's attorney general during the first Trump administration.
Becerra joins a slew of candidates already in the gubernatorial race, including Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, state schools chief Tony Thurmond and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, all of whom are Democrats. One Republican, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco also announced his candidacy.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
