California Gov. Gavin Newsom won’t reach his term limit until early 2027, but he’s already demonstrated his aspirations beyond California.
Fitting, a figure from beyond California is vying to succeed him.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Beccera, one of Joe Biden’s more controversial advisers, is launching a shadow campaign to succeed Newsom… and Becerra has progressed further than originally thought, according to two insiders’ remarks to Politico.
The two insiders told the outlet that Becerra approached political consultants about launching a gubernatorial campaign.
Reportedly, Becerra is even telling associates about his plans behind closed doors.
Politico has also learned that Becerra has spent more than $130,000 on “campaign consultants” since April 2023, or more than $10,000 a month.
Becerra currently serves an appointed role, not an elected one. However, his campaign committee still carries a balance of more than $1.5 million from his time as California’s attorney general. State-level committees are often barred from spending money on federal campaigns.
A senior official in the White House claimed no knowledge of Becerra’s payments to campaign strategists. Asked about the legality of Becerra’s move, the official replied, “Good question!”
Meanwhile, Becerra has shot down questions about his future aspirations. He remains bound by the Hatch Act, a law prohibiting Cabinet members from certain campaign activities.
“I am secretary of HHS and, by law, I have to be secretary of HHS and nothing else,” he said at a recent event in San Francisco. “So I’m gonna do my job as best I can.”
Becerra violated the Hatch Act in 2022 by “expressing support” for Democrat Sen. Alex Padilla’s re-election campaign, the Justice Department found last year.
Plus, Becerra — a former U.S. congressman from Los Angeles — has openly pined for a return to state-level politics.
“I do miss being AG,” he told local media earlier this month.
“Once you get elected and you get your budget, you’re your own boss, and you do whatever you want. And as much as I’m the secretary of the department … I still have to wait ‘til I hear from the White House on a number of things.”
As HHS secretary, Becerra has courted controversy by embracing politicized topics. Like Biden, Becerra issued a statement last month for Transgender Day of Visibility, which just so happened to fall on Easter.
The Horn editorial team