The California governor’s race is shaping up to be a second-tier presidential test run for Democrats. Any Democrat with an eye toward a political future is going to test the waters – and that includes former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

With Governor Hair Gel, Gavin Newsom, term-limited out of running again, the field is wide open for Democrats. Former congresswoman Katie Porter, who already tried for a Senate seat and got handily beaten by Adam Schiff, has already decided that she is running for governor, because why not? She doesn’t have anything better to do with her time, and she desperately wants to get back into elected office.

Also running in the primary are current lieutenant govnernor Eleni Kounalakis, and former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (who came in a distant second Democrat to Gavin Newsom in the last gubernatorial election, as California has a top-two primary, where the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election, regardless of party). But now, Xavier Becerra has jumped into the race.

For those who remember, Becerra succeeded Kamala Harris as California’s attorney general. The Biden administration then chose him – in what looked like a payoff for a political crony of Kamala Harris – as Health and Human Services Secretary. Becerra had done Kamala a HUGE favor by cleaning up a sexual harassment lawsuit in her office from her time as California’s attorney general. Was being selected as HHS Secretary a reward for cleaning that up, and ensured his silence? It certainly looked like that at the time.

Becerra was HHS Secretary for all four years of Joe Biden’s administration, and showed no aptitude for the position. But California is the land of “failing up,” so when you do a bad or mediocre job, and have a “D” after your name, anything is possible! And yes, Becerra is indeed running on his time at HHS.

Becerra said he had been pondering running for some time and decided to jump into the race because of his experience fighting President Trump and managing disasters, two traits he believes are crucial for the state’s next leader.

“Watching what’s unfolding before our eyes made it clear this is not a time to sit on the sidelines,” Becerra said in an interview.

He said his experience dealing with natural disasters, notably the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, makes him uniquely suited to navigate the man-made disasters created by Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, a top advisor to the president, as they indiscriminately slash essential federal government agencies and services.

“Americans are being punished,” he said, “whether it’s the cancer patients who are no longer going to see that fruitful research completed, whether it is the seniors who live in nursing homes who will not have the inspectors coming by to investigate elder abuse, or whether it’s seeing lead in the toys that our children buy and put in their mouths.”

He said he believes California is at a tipping point, and — in an apparent swipe at the state’s Democratic leadership — needs sensible executive leadership that draws businesses back and makes it easier for wildfire victims in areas such as Pacific Palisades and Altadena to rebuild. Although protecting the environment must remain a priority, laws such as the California Environmental Quality Act, the power of the Coastal Commission and the state’s regulations should be open to review, Becerra said.

Does anyone really think that Becerra would be doing anything differently in regard to rebuilding than Gavin Newsom is currently doing? He would simply be the next rubber stamp in a long line of Democrats who have run California. Interestingly, though, Becerra says that he would not drop out of the race even if Kamala Harris gets into it. The former vice president has been the subject of speculation when it comes to her political future, and running for governor of California is definitely the next “big” opportunity to get herself back into the political spotlight. That Becerra is already saying that he won’t drop out if she does step in, tells us that there is no coronation this time for Kamala. She is going to have to get into this primary and fight – and if you think her fellow Democrats are going to let her off the hook, hoooooo boy. No one will be harder on Kamala Harris during an election season than other Democrats. And someone like Becerra, who knows about the skeletons in Kamala’s attorney general closet, may have the capability to hit her hard.

In fact, Becerra stepping into the race will likely give Team Kamala a bit of a pause. Exactly how hard is she willing to campaign and fight to be governor, in a crowded field where she would naturally be the most high-value target? Remember, she dropped out before even one primary election was held when she ran for president in 2020, and had everything handed to her in 2024 – the nomination, the money, the media – and still lost. Becerra is no shoo-in, but the more crowded the field becomes, the less likely it is that Kamala Harris decides to step into the ring.

And given the state of things in California, could it be possible that the Democrats are so busy pointing fingers at one another that a strong Republican candidate could emerge? It’s a pipe dream, to be sure, but after decades of Democrat control in California, it would be nice to think that voters would consider an alternative that doesn’t have a “D” after their name.

Featured image: Xavier Becerra as HHS Secretary, official portrait, cropped, government work in the public domain