A former coworker ofXavier Becerra under the Biden administrationdelivered the latest blow to his bid for California governor by refusing to endorse him Tuesday.
Alejandro Mayorkas, who oversaw the Department of Homeland Security while Becerra was secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, was mum at a speaking event.
“There are many qualified individuals in the California race,” he said at a Politico event in Washington, D.C. “I am agnostic with respect to the California gubernatorial race right now.”
Mayorkas further emphasized that “my residence is in Washington D.C., so you will not find me to answer your political questions in a satisfactory way.”
The swerve by Mayorkas comes as Becerrahas surged to the front of polls, running on a platform of being the experienced candidate who touts his HHS leadership under former President Joe Biden (D).
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However, his gubernatorial rivals are skeptical of that experience — and some people who worked in the Biden administration are even giving them ammunition.
A number of Biden staffershave anonymously expressedsurprise at Becerra’s lead in the governor’s race, considering they thought him incompetent.Xochitl Hinojosa, who worked in Biden’s Department of Justice, shocked a post-debate panel earlier this month, when she said she does not trust Becerra to stand up to Republican President Donald Trump.
“When I saw him in the administration, I think a lot of people did, people understand this: he was not effective in government,” she added.
Mayorkas is not the only notable non-endorsement.Former Vice President Kamala Harrisalso did not weigh in, while she endorsed a slate of candidates in California’s other political races.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
