Swalwell’s resignation boosts Xavier Becerra in the run for California governor: ‘We have to control the president’s excesses’

In the last week, Xavier Becerra — who has a 35-year political career spanning Congress, the state Attorney General’s office, and the federal Secretary of Health and Human Services during the Biden presidency — has emerged as a strong contender in the tight race for governor of California. His campaign to replace Gavin Newsom, whose second term is ending and is ineligible for reelection, received an unexpected boost of several points after the frontrunner in the polls, Eric Swalwell, dropped out of the race and resigned his congressional seat amid serious allegations of sexual abuse.

The nonpartisan Emerson College poll, released just after Swalwell’s withdrawal, reveals a shift in the race. With just over a month to go before the June 2 primary, Becerra now holds 10% of voter support, doubling his previous numbers and tying with former congresswoman Katie Porter. Ahead of them, at 14%, is businessman and philanthropist Tom Steyer. But two Republican candidates still top the field: political commentator Steve Hilton with 17%, and Riverside County sheriff Chad Bianco with 14%.

This matters because California’s system — known as a jungle primary — is a single, open primary where all candidates compete on the same ballot. The top two vote‑getters, regardless of party, advance to the November 3 general election. The fractured Democratic vote, split among more than 20 candidates, most with negligible support, could mean that in a decidedly progressive state, the race ends up being decided between two Republicans. Several Democrats are expected to drop out as the first vote approaches. Becerra, the son of Mexican immigrants, hopes to be — just as he was after Swalwell’s resignation — the main beneficiary of these votes.

Question. What is your view on the allegations against former congressman Swalwell?

Answer. We must first think of the survivors, because it was their courage that started all of this. Without the testimony of these women, we would not have the information that caused Mr. Swalwell to withdraw not only from the gubernatorial race, but also from his position in Congress. It is important to know that the stories, the voices of these women, have given us an example and are a path toward justice.

Q. After Swalwell’s withdrawal, your popularity rose and you are now seen as one of the frontrunners among the Democratic hopefuls. How do you view this boost to your political campaign?

A. What happened with Swalwell made the people focus more on this race. I started my campaign thinking that if someone looked not for the richest person, nor the loudest one, but for someone with experience, who has worked on crucial issues in times of crisis, who has managed to overcome crises, then I would have a chance of winning this election. That hasn’t changed.

Q. You say that one of your priorities is fighting Donald Trump and you point out that you sued him more than 120 times as California’s attorney general. But today it seems that the lawsuits aren’t enough to stop him. How do you plan to confront Trump 2.0?

A. It’s shameful to see a Congress that isn’t trying to stop a president who took illegal actions to start this war [against Iran]. Congress has the authority to declare war, but it’s failing in its duties and has allowed the president to act against the law. As for how we can deal with Donald Trump and his illegal actions against states like California, there are ways to control him, and I have experience in that because I did it as California’s attorney general during Trump’s first term.

We even won when it was a national issue, like the protection of Obamacare. I was the attorney general who took that case all the way to the Supreme Court, and I beat Trump. When the Dreamers [young people who entered the U.S. without authorization as children] were about to lose their protection because Trump tried to eliminate DACA, I took the case to the Supreme Court, and we won. We have to control this president’s excesses so that we can, once again, handle matters like a democracy.

Q. And within your government plan, what do you propose to protect undocumented immigrants and give them some relief from the harsh policies the White House is implementing?

A. The first thing I offer the immigrant community is experience, results, what I did when I was attorney general: preventing Donald Trump from doing what he’s doing today against the people of California. I sued Trump and won when he tried to do many of the things we’re seeing now with ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. We have to act as quickly as possible to protect the community. During the 2020 census, Trump wanted to exclude undocumented immigrants from the population count, which would have cost California millions of dollars it receives from the federal Treasury. In many ways, I protected our community, and now, as governor, I can do that at an even higher level.

Q. California is one of the states hardest hit by inflation, high gas prices, and soaring housing costs. What are your proposals to at least alleviate this situation?

A. I promise those who work hard that, as governor, I will do everything possible so they can buy a home, have health insurance when they need it, have decent schools in their neighborhoods, and be able to get ahead knowing they are earning a decent, dignified wage. Furthermore, I guarantee that we will continue to do what we always do for our immigrant community. We fight for our families because I am the son of immigrants; for me, this is personal.

Q. California alone is one of the most powerful economies in the world, but some believe the state has lost its shine: industries are declining and many are leaving. What do you propose to reverse this situation?

A. What we need to understand is that the shine remains in the state because this state is very strong. It is our obligation to protect California, its resources, its opportunities, its industries, its talented people. Knowing that if we protect that, we will always be a destination. But I recognize that it is difficult to live in California if you don’t receive a living wage. It’s not fair that many work hard in the fields, in our industries and barely earn enough to live here. That has to change. I say this not only as the next governor, but as the son of immigrants who always worked hard and never complained, even though they were never paid much.

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