ISTANBUL

A former US health and human services (HHS) secretary announced his candidacy for California governor Wednesday, setting up a potential showdown with former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2026 race, The New York Times reported.

Xavier Becerra, who served as HHS secretary under then-President Joe Biden as well as California attorney general and representing Los Angeles in Congress, said he would run no matter what Harris does. “What I can tell you with full confidence is, it doesn’t matter who gets in – I’m in,” he said.

Harris, also a former state attorney general and failed 2024 presidential candidate, is considering a bid to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is barred from running due to term limits. If she enters the race, it would pit two longtime Democratic allies against each other.

The son of Mexican immigrants, Becerra was the first Latino secretary of health and human services.

He joins a crowded field in the governor’s race, including high-profile Democrats such as Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and ex-Congresswoman Katie Porter.

Harris, stinging from an unexpectedly large loss to President Donald Trump last November, but still popular among many Democrats, is expected to announce her decision later this summer.

Whoever Democrats nominate for governor, that person is strongly favored to win the governor’s seat in heavily Democratic California.