What the Dana Williamson scandal means for the CA governor’s race
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
WHEN CANDIDATES HAVE SOME SPLAININ’ TO DO…
Via Nicole Nixon...
For the second time in as many months, a Democratic candidate for governor has gone on Fox 40 journalist Nikki Laurenzo’s show to do damage control.
“I knew what was being paid,” Xavier Becerra told Laurenzo days after his former chief of staff Sean McCluskie and political adviser Dana WIlliamson were charged with stealing $225,000 from Becerra’s campaign account. “What I didn’t know was all the underlying activity that was occurring that was against the law.”
Becerra said he was unaware of the entire scope of the FBI investigation but that he answered questions on more than one occasion. He’s also described his top aide’s theft as a “gut punch.”
“I’m like, is every candidate who has a misstep going to have to go to Fox 40 or some TV station to go explain?” quipped Andrew Acosta, a Democratic strategist who’s not involved in the 2026 governor’s race.
Former Rep. Katie Porter made a similar appearance on “Inside California Politics” last month a few days after videos went viral of her threatening to walk out of a television interview and yelling at a staffer. Polling has shown the videos hurt Porter’s front-runner standing in the race.
“It just shows kind of where this race is,” Acosta said. “There’s really nothing that’s catching fire except for these missteps.”
Republican strategist Rob Stutzman agreed: “There’s a huge vacuum” in the race, he said. “It’s begging for other people to run.”
Rumors are flying that Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin, may jump in, as well as billionaire Democratic candidates Tom Steyer, a progressive, and Rick Caruso, a former Republican who switched his affiliation during his unsuccessful 2022 bid for Los Angeles mayor. Attorney General Rob Bonta is reportedly giving the race a second look after initially saying he would run for reelection to his current post.
Close to half of California voters have still not decided who to back in the race, according to a recent Berkeley IGS poll. The same survey showed Republican Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, leading the field with 13%. Porter followed with 11% and the rest of the candidates, including Becerra, polled in single digits.
Though Becerra is a victim in the Williamson scandal, Stutzman said “cynical voters” may wonder why the former attorney general and Biden administration official wasn’t keeping a closer eye on his money.
“I think most people (who know Becerra) accept him at his word. I think cynical voters may have a hard time believing he didn’t know” what was going on, Stutzman said. “If they conclude he didn’t know, then what does that mean about his ability to be governor?”
Stutzman, who served as then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s spokesman, quoted Ronald Reagan, another former Republican governor: “If you’re explaining, you’re losing.”
PRO-SCIENCE PAC MAKES ENDORSEMENTS
National pro-science political action committee 314 Action Fund is endorsing four Democratic candidates with science backgrounds in California congressional races.
The group is putting its name behind the three doctors running for higher office, and Audrey Denney, a 1st Congressional District candidate who has a master’s degree from Chico State in Agriculture Education.
The doctors the group is supporting include incumbent Ami Bera, running for the 3rd Congressional District; Richard Pan, running to fill Bera’s seat in the 6th district, and Jasmeet Bains, a current Central Valley assemblymember running to flip Rep. David Valadao’s red seat blue.
“We know that STEM candidates are most trusted among voters, especially when it comes to health care, giving our candidates a sharp advantage going into 2026,” said 314 Action Fund President Shaughnessy Naughton.
The group pointed to a November 2024 Pew Research Center survey showing 76% of Americans express confidence that scientists are acting in the public’s best interest. The same study, however, found that Americans were split on whether or not they wanted scientists to get involved in making policy, with 51% in favor and 49% opposed.
“Dr. Ami Bera, Audrey Denney, Dr. Richard Pan, and Dr. Jasmeet Bains are ready to take on this fight and we’ll be supporting their campaigns every step of the way,” Naughton added.
314 Action Fund has raised eyebrows in the past for a few reasons: 1) It’s very difficult to find out who its donors are, and 2) Reporting from 2024 by The Intercept noted the group may have been used as a cover for campaign spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. 314 Action Fund did not respond to that reporting at the time.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Wouldn’t it be super ironic if Texas didn’t do it and California sticks us with (Proposition) 50?”
– Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, reflecting on a Texas court throwing out Texas’ redrawn maps Tuesday
BEST OF THE BEE
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This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 4:55 AM.