He would arrive unprepared, almost to the point of embarrassment
Within the corridors of a party searching for its next standard-bearer, the past has a way of following those who seek to lead. Xavier Becerra's emergence as a frontrunner in California's 2026 gubernatorial race has stirred a quiet but pointed reckoning among former Biden administration colleagues, who question whether the man they watched navigate — and, in their telling, stumble through — one of the most consequential public health crises in modern memory is prepared to govern the nation's most populous state. The tension between political ambition and institutional memory is rarely so visible, and rarely so anonymously expressed.
- Becerra's sudden rise to frontrunner status after Eric Swalwell's exit has caught his former colleagues off guard, turning private group chats into forums of open mockery and disbelief.
- Six unnamed Biden officials describe a Cabinet secretary who was sidelined by crisis — deferring to Fauci, arriving unprepared to presidential briefings, and failing to visibly lead the COVID or border health responses.
- The criticism broke into public view when former Biden communications official Xochitl Hinojosa challenged Becerra's fitness on CNN, arguing that those inside the administration understood his limitations firsthand.
- Defenders including Ron Klain and Neera Tanden have pushed back, crediting Becerra with landmark healthcare achievements like Medicare drug price negotiations and expanded insurance coverage for millions.
- The Becerra campaign's silence has left the public narrative of his tenure largely shaped by those who found him wanting, deepening a visible fracture within Democratic circles about his readiness to confront a Trump administration as governor.
Xavier Becerra's rise to frontrunner status in California's Democratic gubernatorial race has triggered an unusual response from within his own former ranks: a sustained, anonymous campaign of doubt. Six ex-Biden officials, speaking to Politico privately, have made his ascent a subject of repeated skepticism in their group chats — bewildered by how someone they watched struggle in a consequential federal role is now positioned to lead the country's largest state.
Becerra stepped into the spotlight after Representative Eric Swalwell abruptly exited the race. But what his former colleagues remember is a Cabinet secretary diminished by the moment. Critics describe him as absent from the administration's COVID response, unprepared in presidential briefings, and reliant on Dr. Fauci's team rather than directing implementation himself. One official recounted that Biden would question Becerra in briefings only to receive answers that embarrassed them both. Another called his appointment an unfortunate choice. A fourth drew a sharp distinction: Becerra understood the politics of the job but collapsed when governance was actually required.
The criticism moved from private to public when Xochitl Hinojosa, the former Biden Justice Department communications director, appeared on CNN and directly questioned Becerra's fitness to stand up to Donald Trump as governor, citing her firsthand experience with his shortcomings at HHS.
Becerra did find defenders, though fewer and less anonymous. Ron Klain called him among the most effective Cabinet members. Neera Tanden credited him with the $35 insulin cap, Medicare drug price negotiations, and health coverage for 14 million additional Americans — and pointedly suggested that if ineffectiveness deserved criticism, others in the administration might be more deserving targets.
The divide reveals something larger than a personnel dispute: a Democratic Party uncertain whether political credibility and legislative wins are enough to prepare someone for the confrontational governing demands of California's next chapter. With the Becerra campaign declining to respond, the story of his tenure remains largely told by those who found him wanting.
Xavier Becerra's unexpected surge as a frontrunner in California's Democratic gubernatorial race has triggered something unusual inside the Biden administration: a sustained, anonymous campaign of doubt from his former colleagues. Six ex-officials, speaking to Politico on condition of anonymity, have made Becerra's improbable rise the subject of repeated mockery in their group chats and private conversations. The mystification is real, and it centers on a single question: How did someone they watched struggle in one of government's most consequential roles now position himself to lead the nation's most populous state?
Becerra emerged as the leading Democratic candidate after Representative Eric Swalwell's abrupt exit from the race last month. His ascent has caught the attention of former colleagues who served alongside him when he led the Department of Health and Human Services during the pandemic's peak. What they remember, according to these officials, is a Cabinet secretary who seemed diminished by the moment. One former official told Politico that Becerra's perceived ineffectiveness on the COVID response, the migrant health crisis at the border, and other major challenges has become a running joke among his ex-peers. The criticism cuts deeper than mere incompetence: these officials describe a leader who took a backseat to Dr. Anthony Fauci and his team, who failed to visibly direct implementation efforts, and who had to navigate multiple layers of bureaucracy just to reach the president, despite holding Cabinet rank.
The portrait that emerges from these anonymous accounts is of someone unprepared for crisis management. A second official called Becerra simply absent from the administration's COVID response. A third deemed his appointment by President Joe Biden an unfortunate choice. A fourth was more pointed: Becerra was skilled at the political dimensions of the job but collapsed when actual governance was required. This official recounted a particularly damaging detail—that Becerra would arrive at presidential briefings so unprepared that Biden would pepper him with questions he couldn't answer, to the point of embarrassment.
The criticism spilled into public view when Xochitl Hinojosa, the former Biden Justice Department communications director, appeared on CNN's post-debate coverage and directly challenged Becerra's fitness for office. She invoked her experience in the Biden administration to argue that Becerra lacked the effectiveness required to stand up to Donald Trump as governor. She emphasized that people in the administration understood his shortcomings as HHS secretary and questioned whether he could govern California.
Becerra did have defenders within the administration, though notably fewer and less anonymous. Ron Klain, Biden's former White House chief of staff and a supporter of Becerra's gubernatorial bid, told Politico that Becerra was among the most effective Cabinet members and had delivered powerfully on the president's agenda. Neera Tanden, a former White House official, dismissed Hinojosa's critique as false, pointing to Becerra's role in securing Medicare drug price negotiations, the $35 insulin cap, and health insurance coverage for 14 million additional Americans. Tanden's response carried an edge, suggesting that if anyone deserved criticism for ineffectiveness, it might be others in the administration—a veiled reference to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The split between Becerra's critics and defenders reveals a deeper fracture in Democratic circles about his readiness. The anonymous criticism is particularly striking because it suggests a sustained, coordinated skepticism rather than isolated complaints. These officials are not merely questioning his record; they are expressing bewilderment at how someone they watched struggle in a crisis role is now positioned to lead California through what many expect will be confrontational years with a Trump administration. The Becerra campaign has not responded to requests for comment, leaving the narrative of his tenure in the Biden administration largely defined by those who worked alongside him and found him wanting.
Notable Quotes
He was one of the most effective members of the president's Cabinet and delivered on the president's agenda very powerfully— Ron Klain, former White House chief of staff
After working in Joe Biden's administration, I do not trust Xavier Becerra to stand up to Donald Trump— Xochitl Hinojosa, former Biden DOJ communications director
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would six former officials risk speaking anonymously about a colleague? What's the actual concern beneath the jokes?
They're not just venting. They watched Becerra lead HHS during the worst public health crisis in a generation, and from their vantage point, he disappeared into the machinery. The anonymity lets them be honest without career consequences—but it also suggests they feel something important is at stake if he becomes governor.
The unprepared-in-briefings detail is damaging. Is that a common problem in Cabinet, or was Becerra unusual?
It's unusual enough that multiple people remembered it and brought it up. Cabinet secretaries are expected to master their briefs. When a president has to ask basic questions and gets blank stares, it signals something fundamental about readiness. That's not a minor critique.
But Klain and Tanden point to real accomplishments—drug pricing, insulin, coverage expansion. How do you square that with the criticism?
The defenders are talking about policy outcomes; the critics are talking about leadership during crisis. Both can be true. You can inherit a good policy framework and execute it competently without being the person who steers the ship in a storm. That's the distinction they're drawing.
Why does this matter for a California governor's race?
Because California will face real crises—drought, housing, Trump administration pressure. The question becomes: when things break, who do you want making decisions? The critics are saying Becerra's record suggests he'll defer, disappear, or freeze.
Is the anonymity itself a problem? Should they have said this on the record?
It's a fair question. Anonymity lets them speak freely but also lets them avoid accountability for the claim. That said, they're not inventing facts—they're describing what they witnessed. The real test is whether voters believe the portrait they're painting.