Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra wins California governors race
Democrat Xavier Becerra has been elected governor of California, NBC News projects, defeating Trump-backed Republican Steve Hilton, who was considered an underdog.Becerra, 68, was elected to a four-year term to succeed Democrat Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited and could run for president in 2028.California, the largest state in the country, hasn’t elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006.Donald Trump lost the state by 20 percentage points in the 2024 election.Becerra was health and human services secretary in the Biden administration.
Before that, he was California’s attorney general, a member of the House for 12 terms and a member of the state Legislature for two years.In Congress, Becerra held leadership roles, including chairing the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the House Democratic Caucus.Steve Hilton during a California gubernatorial debate in February.Laure Andrillon / AP Becerra ran on a platform of battling the Trump administration and painted Hilton as a candidate who would rubber-stamp Trump’s policies.“As Governor of California, I vow to protect and lead our state against Trump and his attacks.
When Trump and his administration threaten access to healthcare, affordable housing, fair wages, or protections for immigrants and marginalized communities, the state has a responsibility to step in and fight,” Becerra’s campaign website said.“I am that fighter, and have a proven record facing and winning against Donald Trump, having sued him 122 times in fact as California’s Attorney General.”Becerra’s platform also called for lowering healthcare costs, building more homes to address the state’s housing crisis, addressing price gouging and rate hikes, embracing “clean energy” and calling for investments in disaster mitigation as the state has been devastated by wildfire, floods and earthquakes in recent years.Becerra also advocated for a policy of regulating AI but also promoting its benefits in government...