Xavier Becerra's meteoric rise in California's gubernatorial race has triggered a wave of criticism from former colleagues in the Biden administration who challenge his central campaign claim: that his government experience makes him the most qualified candidate for the job.
The attacks focus heavily on Becerra's tenure as health and human services secretary, where he managed the pandemic response, a baby formula shortage, the migrant child crisis at the southern border, and an mpox outbreak. His campaign argues he delivered major wins on Medicare drug negotiation and health coverage expansion. But former Biden administration officials, speaking on the record and anonymously, paint a picture of an executive who struggled to manage one of government's largest and most complex agencies.
A former White House official who worked closely with HHS matters said Becerra lacked the executive capability to lead the sprawling department. "In moments of real challenge, that's kind of when you mark: Are you able to step up? He did not have the grasp of the agency or the role that I think you want in an executive," the official told NBC News.
On the pandemic specifically, insiders say Becerra failed to coordinate messaging around public health guidance. The official noted that while debate existed among government scientists and public health officials about the best approach, Becerra "really wasn't able to shepherd that. He just wasn't up for it."
Becerra's handling of the baby formula crisis drew particular fire. The official said he and others in the administration were "asleep at the wheel" on that issue. On the border migrant surge, another former Biden official described children "overflowing" in Customs and Border Protection facilities because HHS could not adequately process them.
The criticism carries special weight given Becerra's own argument about readiness. California has roughly 250,000 state civil service employees, far more than the 80,000 HHS staff Becerra oversaw. "His experience leading such complex entities, his track record on that is not great," the former official said.
Xochitl Hinojosa, who led the Justice Department's public affairs office during the Biden administration, amplified the attack on CNN last week. "He was not effective in government, and I think that a lot of people in the Biden administration are talking about this because they realize that he was not an effective HHS secretary," she said.
Becerra's campaign has marshaled its own roster of supporters from the Biden years. Former Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm praised his handling of pandemic response, coverage expansion, and cost controls. Former Labor Secretary Julie Su called him a "tireless champion for working people and families." Neera Tanden, a senior Biden White House adviser, directly countered Hinojosa, writing on X that Becerra "delivered on Medicare Drug negotiation, $35 insulin and got health care coverage for 14 million more people."
Yet some prominent former colleagues have notably stayed silent. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, Becerra's home state ally, issued endorsements across multiple races but did not back him for governor. Former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he remained "agnostic" about the race.
Becerra's path to the top of the polls accelerated after congressman Eric Swalwell dropped out, but the heightened visibility has invited new lines of attack. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, another Democratic candidate, used Thursday's gubernatorial debate to criticize Becerra's pandemic leadership. "He wasn't minding the shop, the Biden administration had to sideline him from Covid," Mahan said.
Beyond the HHS record, Becerra faces other controversies. His chief of staff at the health department pleaded guilty in December to stealing campaign funds from one of Becerra's dormant campaign accounts. Last week, a California political consultant to Becerra also pleaded guilty to a similar plot. Becerra has said he was unaware of both schemes and did nothing wrong.
At the debate, fellow Democrat Katie Porter suggested Becerra could still face indictment, while rival Tom Steyer highlighted a video clip in which Becerra asked a Los Angeles television reporter whether their interview would be "gotcha" journalism rather than a profile piece. Steyer used the moment to argue Becerra avoids tough questions.
With the June 2 primary weeks away and mail-in ballots already in voters' hands, Becerra sits near the top of recent polls alongside Steyer and Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election. The race has no clear front-runner.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Becerra's argument that experience matters rings hollow when the people who watched him work up close are saying he didn't have the chops for the job."
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