Former Biden cabinet member mounts California gubernatorial bid
"From housing to healthcare, childcare 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," Becerra noted, according to his campaign website.
"We need a leader who will reward hard work, innovation, and endurance again. We need a leader who has rolled up his sleeves as a construction worker, an executive, and a lawmaker. I'm that leader, and as Governor I'll be ready to build a California that's rising again," he asserted.
House Republicans Grill Hhs Secretary Becerra Over Migrant Children: 'Would Not Want To Be You'
Prior to helming HHS, Becerra served as the Golden State's attorney general, and before that he spent more than two decades serving as a lawmaker in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Becerra joins the field of candidates vying to replace current California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is currently serving his second term and is not eligible to run again since the state's constitution stipulates, "No Governor may serve more than 2 terms."
Read On The Fox News App
Kamala Harris Reveals Timetable For Making Major Political Decision In Deep Blue State
Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter and California's current Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis are some of the other candidates jockeying for the job.
Politico reported that at a pre-Oscars party, Harris was asked by someone when she would decide about a gubernatorial bid. Her answer was the end of the summer, according to two people with knowledge of the talk, the outlet reported.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris has told allies that she will decide by the end of the summer whether to mount a bid for the role, a source in her political orbit confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Hhs Downsizing Begins Amid Rfk Jr. 'Make America Healthy Again' Push: 'Win-win For Taxpayers'
Harris is mulling whether to seek the governorship next year, the presidency in 2028, or a position outside elected office, according to an individual with knowledge of her deliberations, the New York Times reported.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this reportOriginal article source: Former Biden cabinet member mounts California gubernatorial bid
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
24 minutes ago
- Axios
Mike Johnson on the Epstein case: "It's not a hoax"
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday he wants "full transparency" in the Jeffrey Epstein files and the case is "not a hoax." Why it matters: Johnson's comments to CBS News on the late convicted child sex offender's case are in notable contrast to President Trump's position on the matter. The president has repeatedly described the case as a "hoax," as pressure builds on his administration to release more files after it concluded there's no evidence of an Epstein "client list" nor that the disgraced financier's 2019 death in a New York prison cell was anything other than suicide. Driving the news: "It's not a hoax. Of course not," Johnson said after CBS' Major Garrett asked him to clarify the matter. "There are real victims here," said Johnson, noting the issue was a delicate one. "I tried to explain in my press conference this week, man, we want full disclosure. If I had these things in my possession, I would have put them out a long time ago, but I would also have been very careful to protect the innocent," he added. State of play: Johnson last week joined the chorus of Trump-friendly voices urging the administration to release the Epstein files. The speaker has also faced scrutiny after the House left a day early for a five-week summer recess after tensions erupted over efforts to force the release of the files. Just before the recess, a Republican-led House subcommittee on Wednesday passed a Democrat's motion to subpoena the DOJ's documents on Epstein. "We want full transparency," Johnson said on CBS' "The Takeout with Major Garrett." "We want everybody who is involved in any way with the Epstein evils — let's call it what it was — to be brought to justice as quickly as possible. We want the full weight of the law on their heads."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
RNC Chair Michael Whatley will run for Senate from North Carolina, sources tell CNN
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley is expected to run for the Senate in North Carolina, setting up a marquee race in next year's midterms, two sources familiar with Whatley's plans tell CNN. He will enter the race with President Donald Trump's backing, after Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, opted against running for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. A North Carolina Republican consultant who has worked to set up Whatley's campaign told CNN on Thursday that a formal announcement is expected to come 'in the next week to 10 days.' Politico first reported Whatley's plans. The president preemptively threw his support behind Whatley in a post on Truth Social Thursday night where he also endorsed RNC treasurer Joe Gruters to succeed him as the committee's leader. 'Mike would make an unbelievable Senator from North Carolina,' Trump wrote. 'He is fantastic at everything he does, and he was certainly great at the RNC where, in the Presidential Election, we won every Swing State, the Popular Vote, and the Electoral College by a landslide! But I have a mission for my friends in North Carolina, and that is to get Michael Whatley to run for the U.S. Senate.' The RNC chairman's entry sets the stage for what's likely to be one of the best-funded, highest-profile Senate races on the 2026 midterm calendar. Former Gov. Roy Cooper, a popular Democrat who was term-limited after eight years and left office at the end of 2024, also plans to announce a Senate run in the coming days, sources told CNN. Lara Trump plans to remain in her in role as host of a weekly Fox News show and will also appear alongside Whatley at upcoming political events, a source said. 'I am deeply grateful for the encouragement and support I have received from the people of my home state whom I love so much,' she said in a post on X. 'While I am not running in this election, my passion for Making America Great Again burns brightly, and I look forward to the future, wherever that leads.' The clash in North Carolina comes as Democrats, who need to flip four Senate seats to claim the majority, look for opportunities to make races for Republican-held seats competitive on an unforgiving map in which North Carolina could be the only true toss-up. Democrats' Senate hopes of flipping GOP-held seats elsewhere could hinge on retirement and recruiting questions. In Maine, five-term Sen. Susan Collins has beaten back stiff Democratic challenges in the past. In Texas, Sen. John Cornyn faces a primary challenge from state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a scandal-plagued conservative firebrand who Democrats view as a much weaker general election candidate. In Iowa, Sen. Joni Ernst has not yet announced her reelection plans, though Republicans have several strong potential replacements if she opts out. In Ohio, Democrats hope former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who narrowly lost his seat in 2024, will attempt a comeback — this time challenging Republican Sen. Jon Husted. Democrats must also defend Senate seats in several swing states, including Georgia, where Sen. Jon Ossoff is seeking reelection and open seats in Michigan and New Hampshire. Whatley previously spent five years as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party and the RNC's general counsel. He took the helm of the national party in 2024 after Trump's tensions with former RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. Gruters, who Trump on Thursday said 'will have my Complete and Total Endorsement' to succeed Whatley as chairman, was floated as a possibility for the leadership post in 2024 as well. 'I'm looking forward to advancing President Trump's America First agenda as the next Chair of the RNC,' Gruters said in a statement to CNN. 'He is the greatest President in our nation's history, and I'm ready to serve, fight, and win for our party and our country.' The Florida state senator is a longtime friend and ally of Trump, bucking the party line in the Sunshine State by backing Trump over Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Their relationship predates Trump's time in office to when he was a celebrity developer still weighing a political future. In 2012, on the eve of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Gruters convinced Trump to headline a fundraiser for the nearby Sarasota GOP. Gruters, who was chairman of the local party at the time, named Trump the Statesman of the Year. Trump had endorsed Gruters in his bid to become Florida's chief financial officer, a cabinet-level position that is elected statewide. It's unclear if Gruters will drop out of the race. DeSantis recently passed over Gruters and spurned Trump when he filled a vacancy at state CFO with state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia. This story has been updated with additional information. CNN's Donald Judd and Steve Contorno contributed to this report.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
The RNC chairman is stepping down. Trump wants a Florida Republican to step in
Amid news that the chairman of the Republican National Committee is stepping down, President Donald Trump on Thursday encouraged Republicans around the country to rally behind a Florida lawmaker as his replacement. Posting on his social media site, Truth Social, Trump said Florida Sen. Joe Gruters, from Sarasota, 'will do a wonderful job' as the chairman of the Republican Party. Gruters, 48, confirmed in a text message that he wants the job. 'I'm looking forward to advancing President Trump's America First agenda as the next Chair of the RNC,' Gruters wrote in a text message to the Miami Herald. 'He is the greatest President in our nation's history, and I'm ready to serve, fight, and win for our party and our country.' Trump endorsed Gruters at the end of a post about current RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, who is expected to step down from his position to seek a soon-to-be-open seat in the U.S. Senate representing North Carolina. Trump said Whatley has his endorsement for the Senate seat should he run. Gruters, a former Florida GOP chairman, has been a longtime supporter and friend of Trump's. He was co-chair of the president's 2016 campaign in Florida, and got a look from the president last year when then-RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel was on her way out. Gruters has been campaigning for the post of Florida chief financial officer, and only recently announced that two of Trump's top political advisors would work for his campaign. He faces a competitive primary, with Gov. Ron DeSantis this month appointing former state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia to the post. Gruters did not say whether his interest in the RNC job would affect his campaign.
