Dems reportedly turn to anti-ICE senator in Cali gov race after Kamala Harris passes on run

Some California Democrats are encouraging Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla to run in the state’s 2026 gubernatorial race, Politico reported on Monday.

While some Sacramento Democrats want Padilla to run in California’s upcoming gubernatorial race, the senator still does not have the name recognition that other Golden State politicians — such as former Vice President Kamala Harris — do, according to Politico. The senator is reportedly weighing a bid to replace term-limited Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“Padilla is part and has been part of the Sacramento culture,” Jodi Hicks, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, told Politico. “He came here very young and spent a lot of time with people and has deep relationships.”

Harris announced in late July that she was passing on a bid for California’s governor’s mansion after months of speculation that she was weighing a run, leaving a wide-open contest. In late August, Padilla signaled openness to the idea of a potential run for California governor, telling Politico in an interview that he loves the state and hopes “to continue to serve in some capacity.”

Padilla made headlines in June after he interrupted a press conference held by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, leading security to forcefully remove him from the conference room. The California Democrat ended up face down on the ground in handcuffs outside the press conference.

Padilla has also kept up close relations with a group tied to anti-deportation riots in recent years, the Daily Caller News Foundation previously reported.

Andrew Acosta, a Democratic political consultant, told Politico that some California voters are not yet “enamored with some of the other candidates” in the upcoming California gubernatorial race.

“There’s a lot of the chattering class of Sacramento who haven’t yet been enamored with some of the other candidates,” Acosta told the outlet.

Some recent polls have shown that Harris supporters now favor former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter — who has previously drawn criticism over anonymous complaints against her surfacing from Capitol Hill staffers in 2022 — in California’s upcoming gubernatorial race after Harris passed on a run. Still, some Democratic operatives, interest groups and funders have raised concerns about Porter being the current frontrunner in the contest, according to Politico.

“This is an uncertain time for California, and Alex Padilla brings certainty and stability,” Afrack Vargas, a Sacramento lobbyist who has known Padilla for almost 30 years, told Politico.

Padilla’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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