Alex Padilla Says He Won’t Run for California Governor in 2026

Sen. Alex Padilla will not run for California governor, he said Tuesday, adding that he wants to “stay in this fight” as a member of the U.S. Senate.

The decision by Padilla, a former California secretary of state and state lawmaker, ends weeks of speculation that he could shake up the relatively low-key 2026 race to lead the nation’s largest state. Padilla was seen as a strong contender given his strong support from the state’s labor unions, his statewide name recognition and his close relationship with Gov. Gavin Newsom.

He is California’s first Latino senator.

“I choose not just to stay in the Senate — I choose to stay in this fight, because the Constitution is worth fighting [for], our fundamental rights are worth fighting for,” Padilla said in remarks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.

The move is likely to benefit other Democratic candidates, namely former Rep. Katie Porter, who has led in early polling but stumbled last month after the release of controversial videos. One showed a tense exchange with a reporter; another showed her snapping at a staff member several years ago.

Padilla’s decision is also good news for former state Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who served as President Biden’s secretary of Health and Human Services, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Becerra and Padilla share many of the same political allies, and Villaraigosa has been running as a more business-friendly centrist.

Newsom appointed Padilla to the Senate in 2021 after Vice President Kamala Harris was elected alongside President Biden; he won a full term in 2022.

His name was floated in recent months as a possible 2026 gubernatorial candidate, but he said he wouldn’t make a decision until after Tuesday’s special statewide election on Proposition 50, a redistricting measure.

Padilla received national attention earlier this year when he was handcuffed and forced to the ground by Department of Homeland Security agents during protests over immigration enforcement in Los Angeles that prompted President Donald Trump to send in federal troops. The incident occurred after Padilla tried to ask DHS Secretary Kristi Noem a question at a news conference.

He was also featured prominently in many of the Yes on Proposition 50 advertisements this fall, ahead of California’s special election, leading to speculation that he might choose to run for governor.