Xavier Becerra
Secretary of Health and Human Services, United States Department of Health and Human Services
Secretary of Health and Human Services, United States Department of Health and Human Services
Supporters point to a long record of delivering results, especially on health care, worker interests, and public service. Endorsements from labor unions, health care advocates, young Democrats, elected officials, and civil rights groups suggest broad confidence in experienced leadership and an ability to connect policy goals with everyday affordability and rights.
There’s a certain amount of simple raw political experience, in both the legislature and the executive branch you need to be successful in higher elected office, and Becerra has all of it. Legislatively, he’s been in the CA Assembly and the House in Congress. On the executive side he’s been the CA Attorney General (5,600 staff) and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (62,000 employees). At this point he’s good at finding good staff, finding good staff management, and his values are excellent: (defending reproductive rights, going after criminal gangs, environmental justice. He’s got excellent experience in health care from his time at HHS, which is an enormous cost item for any state. He’s also a first tier pick. He’s YIMBY enough to get my check mark, but I would like a little more proof that when it comes down to it, he’s going to pick housing over preserving cities in amber. He’s never had to face down the NIMBYs in a city office, so I don’t know for sure if he’ll enact the YIMBY bills that get brought to his desk. Let’s take the chance, though. The man has the prior experience that I want to see in a governor and the right values.
He's very experienced and knowledgeable and can govern on day 1
Laborers' International Union of North America endorsed Xavier Becerra.