SACRAMENTO — President Trump's name won't be on the ballot when Californians elect a new governor next year. But he'll still be the favorite target of Democratic candidates.
That will be especially true of Xavier Becerra, 67, the latest entry in the race.
The former secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration and, before that, California attorney general says he's particularly qualified to protect the state's interests against Trump's "bullyism."
"I know no one who has taken on Donald Trump as often and successfully as I have who is running for governor," Becerra told me. "I've shown how to beat him."
As attorney general, Becerra sued the first Trump administration 123 time — often teamed with other Democratic state attorneys general — and won the vast majority of cases.
The lawsuits ran the gamut: Trump's attempt to scuttle Obamacare, his anti-immigration policies, efforts to cripple California's environmental protections and weaken the state's fight against climate change.
Now, Trump is back at it even more pugnaciously.
"Americans are being punished," Becerra says. "This is not a time to sit on the sidelines."
Swipe at Kamala Harris
That "sitting on the sidelines" comment could be read as a subtle swipe at former Vice President Kamala Harris, who is taking several months to decide whether to run for governor. She intends to make up her mind by the end of summer.
But Harris, 60, is sounding like she plans to eventually hit the campaign trail.
"I'll see you out there. I'm not going anywhere," Harris recently told a conference of Black female business leaders and politicians in Orange County. She didn't mention running for anything, but vowed to remain active in the fight to protect constitutional rights.
If Harris does reenter the political arena, she's more likely to run for governor than attempt another presidential bid in 2028. After her loss to Trump last year, most Democratic voters nationally will probably be looking for a different standard bearer.
But she'd be the early favorite in a gubernatorial race because of her broad name recognition and past election successes in California, having won races for the U.S. Senate, attorney general and San Francisco district attorney.
Other candidates in the large field of wannabes would probably bail out, regardless of what they're saying now about hanging in no matter what. Such talk is easy until you run out of campaign money and large donations dry up because political investors believe you're a probable loser.
"It doesn't matter who gets in," Becerra says. "I'm in."
"They'll drop like flies if Kamala gets in," predicts Democratic consultant Steve Maviglio, who's not involved in the contest. "She'll be the overwhelming favorite and money follows the favorite."
But Maviglio adds: "Kamala is not a shoo-in. She's going to have a tough race.
"A lot of Democrats are disappointed in how the election turned out against Trump. They have a hangover from that."
But former Democratic strategist Bob Shrum, director of the Center for the Political Future at USC, says: "If she runs, she's very likely to win."
Well-known to Californians?
Becerra fits into the "collection of people with very distinguished and interesting records, but the state doesn't know them," Shrum added. "With them, it's a contest of who can raise sufficient money to get known."
One exception to the low name recognition, Shrum adds, is former Orange County congresswoman Katie Porter, 51, now a UC Irvine law school teacher. One reason is that she ran statewide for a Senate seat last year.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, 72, also has some statewide name recognition, but it's presumably declining because he hasn't held elected office for 12 years.
Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, 59, is one gubernatorial candidate with barrels of her own family money generated by real estate developments. But she's expected to shift to a bid for treasurer if Harris runs.
Also in the Democratic mix of relatively little known candidates are former state legislative leader Toni Atkins, 62; former state Controller Betty Yee, 67, and state schools chief Tony Thurmond, 56.
Republican Riverside County Sheriff Brad Bianco, 57, also is running. But a GOP candidate need not apply for governor in California. It's a virtually impossible reach.
Becerra is universally considered a nice guy — soft-spoken, not a grandstander.
But he doesn't shy away from partisan combat. A six-term congressman representing Central Los Angeles, he held several leadership positions under former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), including chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. He also headed the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Democratic consultant Bill Carrick says that every Democratic candidate "for governor or Senate in any state will be focused on Trump" next year.
"It's hard to put together any campaign that's not a continuation of the Trump soap opera."
Becerra is embarked on a hybrid approach — banging on Trump while addressing California's multitude of acute problems, as voters should demand.
"California is at a crossroads," Becerra declared in his candidacy announcement. "From housing to healthcare, child care to college, working families are facing an affordability crisis. The California dream is slipping away. I'm running for governor to fight for that dream, to build a stronger, affordable California for everyone. And to take on bullies who get in our way."
Ask Becerra for specifics, and he frequently replies with a favorite word: "scrub."
Scrub? It means he'd thoroughly examine several things — the bullet train, the proposed Delta water tunnel, the housing shortage, environmental regulations, tax reform — and determine what's worth doing and what's not.
"Once you've decided what you're going to do, don't let anything get in your way," he says.
That includes Trump.
What else you should be reading
The must-read: Steve Soboroff bows out as L.A. fire recovery czar, with some parting shots.
The TK: California lawmakers tackle potential dangers of AI chatbots after parents raise safety concerns.
The L.A. Times Special: Newsom asks Trump administration to bring deported Venezuelan immigrant to the U.S.
Until next week,
George Skelton
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