Politico,
by
Eli Stokols
Original Article
Posted by
earlybird
—
8/12/2026 1:09:12 PM
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Democrats wanted a frontrunner in California’s gubernatorial race. What they did not envision was Xavier Becerra, whose abrupt rise from afterthought to favorite has left former Biden administration officials — his one-time colleagues — reacting with a mix of incredulity, mockery and resignation.
“It’s like: ‘We need to figure out a candidate who can win!’ But then…him? Really?’” said one former Biden administration official. “It’s amazing.”(snip)Six former Biden administration officials, all of whom were granted anonymity to speak candidly about a former colleague, acknowledged the subject of Becerra’s unlikely rise has come to dominate their group chats and conversations. “It gets the biggest laugh every time we send around a poll,”