​SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Diya TV) — Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary and former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Wednesday that he is a candidate for California governor in the 2026 election. A Democrat and the son of Mexican immigrants, Becerra emphasized his blue-collar roots and four decades of public service experience.

“California is at a crossroads,” Becerra stated. “From housing to healthcare, childcare to college, working families are facing an affordability crisis. The California Dream is slipping away.” He promised to “build a stronger, affordable California for everyone, and to stand up to bullies who get in our way.”

Becerra has spent over three decades in politics. He was a state legislator before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992, where he remained until 2017. As California’s attorney general, Becerra gained a reputation for bringing over 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration, defending significant policies on immigration, healthcare, and the environment successfully. In 2021, President Joe Biden appointed him as the first Latino Secretary of Health and Human Services, a position he held until earlier this year.

The race to succeed term-limited Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has attracted a crowded field of candidates. The declared Democratic candidates are Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former U.S. Representative Katie Porter, former State Controller Betty Yee, and former State Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins. In the Republican camp, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has made a bid based on California’s ongoing homelessness and housing issues.

Speculation has also centered around former Vice President Kamala Harris, who is reportedly considering a gubernatorial campaign and will make up her mind by the end of summer. A recent poll indicates that nearly half of California voters would cast their vote for her candidacy.

Becerra’s addition provides another familiar face to the Democratic list. He follows his parents’ example, stating, “My parents came to California with $12 in their pockets. They built a life they were proud of. That’s the promise of California, and I will fight to make sure it’s still within reach for everyone.”.

The primary for the California governor is on June 2, 2026. Candidates must file their papers by early March 2026.