California Senator Alex Padilla announced Tuesday that he will not be seeking the governor's office in 2026, as he'd been rumored to be considering in the last two months. Instead, he will remain in the Senate through the end of Trump's current term.
In an announcement that surely comes as a relief to current frontrunner in the 2026 California governor's race Katie Porter, Senator Alex Padilla said Tuesday that he will not be seeking the governor's office next year.
Padilla made an emotional statement with his wife at his side at the US Capitol Tuesday afternoon, as the New York Times reports, saying that "with a full heart" and "more commitment than ever," he wants to remain in Congress.
Padilla opened by describing his experience getting tackled and handcuffed by ICE agents when he tried to ask a question at a Los Angeles press event in June with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
"As alarming as that experience was, not just for me and our family, but for most people who have seen the video, countless people have told me, 'I’m glad you’re fighting for us. I’m glad you’re there,'" Padilla said.
Padilla, whose term will be up in 2028 at the same time as Trump's, framed his decision around Trump's presidency and the ongoing threats to civil rights that it represents.
"I choose not just to stay in the Senate. I choose to stay in this fight because the Constitution is worth fighting for," Padilla said, per Politico. "Our fundamental rights are worth fighting for. Our core values are worth fighting for. The American dream is worth fighting for."
Per the Times, Padilla surprised the congressional reporter pool by making the announcement in the middle of an election day, and he took no questions afterward.
The Chronicle floated the rumor in early September that Padilla was considering a run for governor, and it turned out he had in fact been speaking with some friends about this. Piggybacking on that news was the idea that if Padilla were to become governor, he could simply trade places with Governor Gavin Newsom, appointing Newsom — who appointed him to the Senate to replace Kamala Harris in 2021 — to complete the remainder of his term, giving Newsom a national platform from which to run for president in 2028.
It is plausible that Padilla's decision was further influenced by polling that shows Democrat Katie Porter with a significant early lead over other Democratic candidates, though Republican Steven Hilton appears to be making headway as well.
Still, a recent, small-scale poll commissioned by rival and former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa suggests that Porter's campaign may have damaged, at least temporarily, by a viral video in which she was seen losing her cool with a Sacramento-based TV reporter in a one-on-one interview.
Previously: After Getting Shoved to Ground and Handcuffed by Feds, Senator Alex Padilla Goes on Media Blitz
