Sacramento – When the Californian elects a new governor next year, President Trump’s name will not be voted. But he will still be a favorite target for Democratic candidates.

This is especially true for Xavier Beterra (67), the latest entry in the race.

Former Biden administration secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and before that, the California Attorney General, says he is particularly entitled to protect the state’s interests against Trump’s “Breeism.”

“No one has made Donald Trump a frequent and successful way, like I’m running for governor,” Becerra told me. “I showed you how to beat him.”

As attorney general, Becerra sued the first Trump administration 123 times – often working with other Democrats’ attorney generals to win the majority of cases.

The lawsuit carried out the gamut. Trump’s attempts to steal Obamacare, his anti-immigration policies, efforts to cripple California’s environmental protection and undermine the nation’s fight against climate change.

Now Trump has returned to it even more bravely.

“Americans are being punished,” says Becerra. “This is not the time to sit on the sidelines.”

Swipe with Kamala Harris

That “sitting on the sidelines” comment can be read as a subtle swipe of former Vice President Kamala Harris, who has taken months to decide whether to run for governor or not. She plans to make up her mind by the end of summer.

But Harris, 60, sounds like she’s going to eventually go on the campaign trail.

“I’ll meet there. I’m not going anywhere,” Harris told a meeting of Black women business leaders and politicians in Orange County. She didn’t mention anything to run, but she vowed to be active in the fight to protect her constitutional rights.

If Harris is re-entered on the political arena, she is more likely to run for governor than she attempts to make another presidential bid in 2028. After losing to Trump last year, most Democrat voters are probably looking for another standard bearer.

But she became an early favorite of the governor’s race due to her widespread name recognition in California, which won the race for the US Senator, Attorney General and San Francisco District Attorney.

Other candidates in the big field of aspiring people will probably bail out, regardless of what they are saying right now. Such a talk is easy until you run out of campaign money and your large donations run out of money, as political investors believe you are the loser.

“It doesn’t matter who’s in,” Becerra says. “I’m in.”

“When Kamala comes in, they’ll fall like flies,” says Democrat consultant Steve Mavilio, who predicts he’s not involved in the contest. “She’s become an overwhelming favorite, and money continues to her favorite.”

However, Maviglio adds: “Kamala is not a Shoe-in, she is going to have a tough race.

“Many Democrats are disappointed with how the election turned out to Trump. They’ve got a hangover from that.”

But former Democratic strategist Bob Schlam, director of USC’s Center for Political Futures, said, “If she runs, she’s very likely to win.”

Are you familiar with Californians?

Becerra “fits a collection of people with very well-known and interesting records, but the state doesn’t know them,” added Shrum. “With them, it’s a contest about who can raise enough money to know.”

One exception to the low perception of NAME is former Orange County Councilman Katy Porter, 51, who is currently a teacher at UC Irvine Law School. One reason is that she ran statewide for her Senate seat last year.

Antonio Villaraigoza, the 72-year-old former Los Angeles mayor, also has a statewide recognition, but perhaps on the decline as he has not been elected for 12 years.

Lt. Colonel Eleni Kounalakis, 59, is one of the gubernatorial candidates with her own family’s money barrels created by real estate development. However, she is expected to move to a treasurer bid if Harris is executed.

Also, the democratic mix of relatively little known candidates is Toni Atkins, former state legislative leader, 62. Former state controller Betty Yi, 67, and Chief Tony Thurmond, 56 of State Schools.

Republican Riverside County Sheriff Brad Bianco, 57, is also running. However, GOP candidates do not need to apply to the California governor. That’s a virtually impossible reach.

Becerra is universally considered a nice guy. It is spoken softly, not an ancestor.

But he is not embarrassed by the partisan battles. The six-term House member representing central Los Angeles, served several leadership positions under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), including House Democrat Caucus Speaker. He also led the Hispanic Caucus in Congress.

Democratic consultant Bill Carrick said all Democratic candidates will “focus on Trump next year for governors or Senate in any state.”

“It’s difficult to put together a campaign that’s not a continuation of Trump melodrama.”

Becerra is embarking on a hybrid approach. They beat Trump while dealing with a number of California’s acute issues as voters should demand it.

“California is at an intersection,” Becerra declared in the announcement of his candidacy. “From housing to healthcare, childcare and college, working families are facing an affordability crisis. California’s dreams are slipping, and I’m running for the governor to fight for that dream.

When I ask Becerra for details, he frequently responds with his favorite phrase, “Scrub.”

scrub? That means he will thoroughly examine some things – bullet trains, proposed delta water tunnels, housing shortages, environmental regulations, tax reforms, and more, and decide what is worth and what is not.

“If you decide what you’re trying to do, don’t get in the way,” he says.

That includes playing cards.

What else should I read?

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TK: Trans Athlete: Last week with John Oliver (HBO) this week.
Rimes SpecialNewsom asks Venezuelan immigrants to be taken to the US after being deported to the Trump administration

Until next week,
George Skeleton

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