By Katharine Jackson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democrat Xavier Becerra on Wednesday launched a run for governor of California, potentially pitting himself against former Vice President Kamala Harris.
California voters in 2026 race will select a governor to succeed Democrat Gavin Newsom, who has held the post since 2019 but cannot run for re-election due to term limits.
Becerra, 67, served as health and human services director under former President Joe Biden, and was the first Latino to hold the office.
“I watched my parents, a construction worker and a clerical worker, achieve the California Dream. Can we do that today with this affordability crisis? … We can do that but you need a leader who can be tough,” Becerra said in a video announcing his run.
A Sacramento native, he became a state legislator in 1990 before representing the state in the U.S. Congress for more than two decades and later becoming the state’s attorney general.
Harris, who was also California’s attorney general and a U.S. senator before becoming vice president, has told people she intends to decide later this year whether to run for California governor, Politico reported last month, citing sources.
Former U.S. Representative Katie Porter launched a run for governor in March.
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson; editing by Barbara Lewis)
