Xavier Becerra’s Political History: A Game-Changer in the California Governor’s Race?

Xavier Becerra is now facing intense scrutiny, which could be the clearest indication yet that the former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services is a serious contender for the California governor’s seat.

In the wake of allegations involving rape, sexual assault, and other misconduct that led to the dramatic downfall of Eric Swalwell’s campaign and career, Becerra has emerged as the primary beneficiary in the gubernatorial race.

Democratic donors and strategists, previously aligned with Swalwell, are now rallying behind Becerra. He is also poised to gain favor from those close to Governor Gavin Newsom.

Becerra’s recent rise in the polls has reignited debate over his extensive, though occasionally inconsistent, political career that spans nearly 40 years.

Currently, Becerra is neck and neck with progressive billionaire Tom Steyer and holds a slight lead over former congresswoman Katie Porter among the Democratic hopefuls.

On the Republican side, former Fox News host Steve Hilton is at the forefront, with Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco polling nearly on par with the Democratic candidates.

“This surge is interesting, because much to the consternation of all the political consultants, this seems like it was completely organic,” said Paul Mitchell, vice president at Political Data.

“But this is not ‘Becerra is a permanent frontrunner’ — this is Becerra seemingly having an opportunity, and the question will be how well his campaign can perform.”

Becerra, a former Los Angeles congressman, California attorney general from 2017 to 2021 and Biden cabinet member from 2021 to 2025, is now facing renewed questions about whether his resume reflects effective leadership or a pattern of struggling in high-pressure roles.

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During his tenure at the Department of Health and Human Services, Becerra was tasked with helping manage both the pandemic response and a surge of unaccompanied migrant children at the southern border. Critics say he failed to assert himself in either arena. Meanwhile, concerns also have been raised about a corruption scandal involving an old campaign account.

“In terms of martialing a government effort to fight Covid, he never really had the juice with the president and others to be a leader and a driver on that,” a former Biden administration official told The Post.

“What was clear time and time again during Covid and on immigration, he was not somebody who could figure out ways to move the ball forward.”

In early 2021, top White House officials — including then-domestic policy adviser Susan Rice — reportedly grilled Becerra over a backlog of migrant children being held in Border Patrol facilities. 

Biden “lashed out” with what he saw as a slow and disjointed response from HHS in standing up additional shelter capacity and moving children into safer placements.

A February 2023 investigation by The New York Times found that thousands of unaccompanied minors were funneled into exploitative labor situations after being released from federal custody.

In internal discussions, Becerra urged staff to speed up placements.

“You need to move this like an assembly line,” Becerra said, while also acknowledging that “kids aren’t widgets.” 

Federal findings later showed that more than 85,000 children lost contact with authorities after placement.

Jeff Nesbitt, Becerra’s former chief of public affairs at HHS, said the notorious White House chewing-out ignores the timing of his appointment.

“He literally had just been confirmed and walked in the door,” Nesbitt said.

“This is a guy with 35 years of experience, calm under pressure, steady, and not afraid to be surrounded by experts who he listens to.”

Becerra also was widely seen as playing a secondary role in the federal government’s COVID-19 response. While sworn in at the height of the crisis in March 2021, he was not the public face of the administration’s strategy, which was largely driven by White House officials and public health experts.

Michale Bustamante, a spokesperson for the Becerra campaign, called the former health secretary a “workhorse” who operated more behind the scenes than in front of cameras.

“Sec. Becerra administered the largest effort to dispense vital lifesaving Covid vaccines to all 50 states without a hitch,” Bustamante said.

Nesbitt echoed that defense, arguing Becerra played a central operational role even if he was not the most visible figure.

“When you hear him talking about millions of shots in people’s arms, and making sure the clinics and shots were widely available, that was Becerra,” Nesbitt said.

A corruption case tied to Becerra’s political operation could also prove sticky with some voters. 

Federal prosecutors charged multiple individuals — including Dana Williamson, a former chief of staff to Newsom — in a scheme involving the misuse of campaign funds and political accounts. 

Becerra’s former chief of staff, Sean McCluskie, ultimately pleaded guilty to stealing money from a dormant congressional campaign account associated with Becerra, admitting to diverting funds for personal use as part of a broader conspiracy. 

Becerra was not accused of wrongdoing, but critics argue the episode exposed significant lapses in oversight, with funds tied to his campaign being siphoned right under his nose. 

Bustamante said the fraud involving Becerra’s dormant congressional campaign account — in which McCluskie and lobbyist Greg Campbell have pleaded guilty — occurred beyond his control, as he was restricted from having access to the campaign while serving in the Biden administration.

“There are three people who broke the law, and two of the three have already pled guilty and they will be held accountable,” Bustamante said.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has worked with Becerra on matters when their constituents overlapped and is also running for governor, launched a website that drags Becerra’s record.

“Becerra loves to play the victim, but voters don’t know he’s at the center of three major scandals since the last time he ran for office,” said Raquel Robinson, a spokepseron for Villaraigosa’s campaign.

“If he has nothing to hide, why is he so afraid of a simple website?” 

Bustamante dismissed the effort.

“That website was propped up by Antonio last year. It was viewed by a whopping nine people and I’ll bet Antonio was four of them,” he said.

He added, “To see someone who has been a pillar in the Latino community end his storied career on his belly — it’s sad.”