SACRAMENTO, California — Sen. Alex Padilla on Wednesday left open the possibility that he would run for California governor, telling POLITICO that he hoped “to continue to serve in some capacity.”
“I love California. I've had the honor of serving in many different capacities,” Padilla said. “I hope to continue to serve ... in some capacity for the foreseeable future.”
Rumors have begun to swirl in Sacramento about a Padilla candidacy, driven in part by a poll in the field that includes the senator’s name on a list of current and potential candidates. Before today, Padilla had not addressed those rumors directly.
During an interview at POLITICO’s “The California Agenda: Sacramento Summit”, Padilla demurred when asked about his future political career, saying that “when you subscribe to POLITICO, it creates questions that are going to be asked anywhere you go,” while declining to confirm his candidacy.
“It sounds like you’re not going to stop asking about it,” he said at the event.
His addition to the field would immediately shake-up a long stagnant race with no clear frontrunner. Although a host of Democratic candidates are competing for the position — including former Rep. Katie Porter, former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra — polling has pointed to a wide-open campaign since Kamala Harris announced she would not run for governor last month.
Padilla, who has served as California’s senator since 2021, captured the news cycle earlier this summer after he was handcuffedat a Department of Homeland Security news conference and would be one of the highest profile candidates in the race.
Although Padilla’s term in the Senate doesn’t end until 2029, a run for governor would position him to replace Newsom as chief Trump antagonizer. He would not have to resign from his post to run for the position.
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