Former Biden administration Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has rocketed from 4 percent to 15 percent support in a single California gubernatorial poll this month, vaulting him from long-shot status to joint frontrunner in a race that had been dominated by establishment names and billionaires.
The 68-year-old is now tied with billionaire Democratic donor Tom Steyer at the top of the Democratic primary field, according to a Gudelunas Strategies survey — a significant development given that Becerra had been largely overlooked for the past year in a race that includes several higher-profile names.
The timing of the surge has raised eyebrows in Sacramento, with The Daily Beast and New York Post both reporting that the boost coincides with outreach from allies of term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom — fuelling speculation that Newsom is quietly elevating a trusted loyalist over other contenders he is less comfortable with.
Becerra’s connection to Newsom runs deep, having served as California Attorney General from 2017 to 2021, during which he defended California’s progressive policies in federal court while Newsom was governor — a working relationship built on institutional alignment rather than outsider energy.
The California governorship race has been criticised in recent weeks after a planned debate was cancelled amid complaints that the candidate field was overwhelmingly white, a problem Becerra’s presence directly addresses as he would be the first Latino governor of California since 2001 if elected.
Becerra’s policy record as HHS secretary includes defending the Affordable Care Act, attempting to expand abortion access protections and managing the federal health bureaucracy through the post-pandemic period — experience that positions him as the technocratic continuity candidate rather than the transformational figure some California Democrats say the moment requires.
Whether the Newsom alignment proves durable or whether competitors can consolidate opposition around a single alternative will determine whether this poll represents a genuine breakout or a temporary bubble driven by network mobilisation.
