Top Democrats punt on California governor bids; GOP recruits conservative cop
Two rumored hopefuls for California governor continued to punt Thursday on whether they would run for higher office in 2026, when Gov. Gavin Newsom terms out. Meanwhile, Republicans are drafting an up-and-coming sheriff to run under their party ticket in an already crowded race for the state’s highest office.
California’s next elections for statewide offices are not for more than two years, but a handful of high-profile Democrats — including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former State Senate leader Toni Atkins and State Superintendent of Public instruction Tony Thurmond — have all announced formal campaigns for governor as they try to get an early jump on raising money and name ID. The early start to the campaign cycle is putting pressure on other potential candidates to make a decision, but not everyone is in a hurry.
Speaking at CalMatters’ Ideas Festival in Sacramento on Thursday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, both Democrats, said they are considering gubernatorial bids but were not ready to commit.
“It is a wonderful question to get to contemplate,” Becerra mused when pressed by KQED politics editor Scott Shafer about his plans.
As the son of immigrants and blue-collar workers, Becerra said, he never thought he would hold such titles as secretary of Health and Human Services, California attorney general and congressman.
Becerra, a Sacramento native, said he labored briefly in construction and was tempted to stay. Instead, he became the first in his family to graduate from college and went on to work as a lawyer and deputy attorney general before entering politics in 1990.
After his appearance, Becerra said his next career move depends in some part on the 2024 presidential election.
“If the president is given a chance to serve a second time, I certainly hope I have conversations with him” about whether to remain in Biden’s Cabinet, he said.
He told The Sacramento Bee that when considering his next move, he thinks about where he can have the biggest impact.
“I want to have an opportunity to do something big,” he said. “I always say, I don’t care what position you put me in, just put me on the field. I’ll throw, I’ll catch, I’ll block. And if I can make a bigger difference in a different place, I’ll consider it.”
Attorney General Rob Bonta has also said he is “seriously considering” a bid for the state’s highest office — and also declined to make an official announcement Thursday.
“It’s something I will make a decision on at some point. That time is not now,” Bonta said during an on-stage interview with CalMatters reporter Nigel Duara. “Now is to be the best attorney general I can be. It’s a consequential job.”
Bonta previously told The Bee that he would not make an announcement until after the November election.
Former State Controller Betty Yee announced her candidacy for the state’s highest office in March. In a Thursday morning appearance at the conference, Yee said the state’s affordability crisis would be a top priority.
She also emphasized the need for a “reset” for more accountability over state spending.
“I hope we can get into a framework where we’re not afraid of inviting strict accountability,” she said. “We are working in an era of finite resources, so we have to be smarter about the resources we have.
Also Thursday, allies launched an effort to draft Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco as a Republican candidate for governor in 2026. The coalition includes “law enforcement leaders, legislators, local elected officials, and community leaders from across California,” according to a news release.
“We need a strong, capable candidate to run for governor in 2026 and present a real alternative for California voters,” Dennis Hollingsworth, a former state senator from the area, said in a prepared statement. “In the face of Sacramento’s failures on issues like crime and homelessness, Sheriff Bianco’s leadership has been an example for other communities to follow across the state.”
Bianco this week came under fire after posting a video of himself saying “it’s time we put a felon in the White House,” referring to former President Donald Trump, who was convicted May 30 by a New York jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
The two-term sheriff has also criticized Newsom and the Legislature’s handling of criminal justice issues. He is supporting a ballot measure to roll back portions of Prop. 47, a 2014 initiative that lowered criminal penalties for low-level drug and property crimes.
