CA governor race heats up: Ad slams Xavier Becerra’s oversight of child migrants
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Villaraigosa runs ad attacking Becerra’s oversight of unaccompanied minors.
- Ad cites 2023 New York Times probe on child trafficking in migrant flows.
- Becerra defends record; Villaraigosa continues streak of needling Dems
A new ad from Democratic gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa takes aim at his opponent Xavier Becerra’s handling of vulnerable child migrants as a top official during the Biden administration.
The 30-second spot cites a 2023 New York Times investigation into migrant children trafficked and exploited to work grueling jobs at factories, construction sites, farms and other dangerous work places.
According to the investigation, the number of children who crossed the southern border without a parent or guardian began to swell in 2021. The federal department of Health and Human Services, which Becerra ran from 2021 until earlier this year, is responsible for ensuring unaccompanied minors are released to family members or sponsors who will support them.
After the investigation was published, 26 Democratic members of Congress, including a handful from California, sent a letter to Becerra demanding answers about how the Office of Refugee Resettlement, housed in his department, was operating and tracking children released from its care.
The ad declares Becerra “not fit to be governor” and includes a clip of former Rep. Anna Eshoo, who retired from her Bay Area seat last year, telling the then-secretary: “The buck stops with you.” It also advertises a website dedicated to the Times investigation and its fallout.
A Becerra campaign spokesperson dismissed the ad as “discredited MAGA talking points” and blamed the first Trump administration for the migrant crisis.
“Clearly others in this race are panicking because they see what we’re seeing in the polls: No one has gained more voter support in the last three months than Xavier Becerra. Secretary Becerra is the only candidate in this race with the experience — and the proven record — to lead California out of Trump’s latest manmade crisis,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.
In an email, Villaraigosa spokesperson Kerry Jacob, said the campaign’s spending on the targeted ad “is commensurate with Becerra’s level of support in this race, which is minimal.”
Villaraigosa, 72, is a former mayor of Los Angeles and Assembly speaker. He and Becerra are the only two prominent Latinos in the race to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom. U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla considered running for the position but announced this week he had decided against it.
Polls have shown Democratic former Rep. Katie Porter as a frontrunner in the race, though a recent poll commissioned by Villaraigosa’s campaign showed that her recent missteps may cost her support among likely voters.
Two Republican candidates, Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton, also rank near the top in polls. Nearly half of California voters in a spring survey said they would consider supporting a Republican for the role in 2026.
Villaraigosa has not been afraid to take swipes at other Democrats in the gubernatorial primary. He accused Becerra and former Vice President Kamala Harris, who considered running for governor, of concealing former President Joe Biden’s decline during his White House term. He also prodded at Porter and Becerra in an ad focused on affordability.
