Sen. Alex Padilla not ruling out a 2026 run for California governor
California Sen. Alex Padilla isn’t ruling out a potential bid for governor of the state in 2026.
The two-term Democratic senator’s name was included in an ongoing poll of the 2026 governor field, according to a recent Politico report.
Padilla avoided answering directly when asked about whether he is interested in running during a Sacramento policy summit hosted by the news outlet Wednesday.
“I’m focused and encourage everyone to focus on this Nov. 4 special election,” he said when asked about potential gubernatorial aspirations.
After Padilla’s appearance at the event, a group of around 100 people protesting the ongoing war in Gaza entered the lobby of the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel, where the policy summit took place, and called on the senator to take action to stop severe starvation in the city.
They held banners calling on Padilla to “stop funding genocide” and “stop funding Israel.”
Padilla, California’s first Latino senator, made national headlines earlier this summer when he was tackled and forcibly removed from a U.S. Department of Homeland Security press conference in Los Angeles.
He would not risk losing his senate seat if he ran for the top elected position in California. His term ends in early 2029.
He would join a crowded field, which includes former Rep. Katie Porter, former Biden cabinet member Xavier Becerra, former state Senate leader Toni Atkins, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, among other Democrats, and Republicans Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Padilla served in the state Senate and as secretary of state before Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed him to fill the seat vacated by Kamala Harris when she became vice president.
“I hope to continue to serve in some capacity,” he said. “But so much is at stake this November.”
He was referencing Newsom and Democratic lawmakers’ ask that voters approve a new congressional map that could help their party pick up five new House seats in the 2026 midterms, a response to a similar move by Texas Republicans.
Padilla criticized the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement and cuts to Medicaid and other social services.
“Their only hope of staying in power … is to rig the system,” he said.
Becerra and Porter, two gubernatorial Democrats who participated in the Politico summit, brushed over a potential Padilla rivalry.
“We’ve been partners for a long, long time, friends for ages,” Becerra said during an on-stage interview. “And I look forward to serving with him as governor.”
“This is a big field. I’m proud to be at the front of it and I’m going to work hard to keep it that way,” said Porter, who has consistently led polls for the race, though a larger slice of voters remains undecided.
This story was originally published August 27, 2025 at 1:35 PM.
