From a one-room apartment to the governor's office: what to know about Xavier Becerra

Sacramento roots

Becerra was born on January 26, 1958, in Sacramento, California, and grew up in a one-room apartment with his three sisters, according to Wikipedia. His father was a union construction worker, and his parents grew up in Mexico before settling in Sacramento, per The Sacramento Bee. He graduated from C. K. McClatchy High School in 1976.

Stanford, first in his family

Becerra earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University in 1980, becoming the first person in his family to graduate from college. He went on to earn a law degree from Stanford Law School in 1984, according to Wikipedia.

Three decades in office

He served in the California State Assembly from 1990 to 1992 and in the U.S. House from 1993 to 2017. He chaired the House Democratic Caucus from 2013 to 2017 and helped develop what became the Affordable Care Act, per The Sacramento Bee.

Suing the first Trump administration

Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Becerra attorney general in 2017 after Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate. In that job, he repeatedly sued the first Trump administration over policies ranging from healthcare to immigration, according to The Sacramento Bee. He later served as President Joe Biden's secretary of health and human services from 2021 to 2025, per Wikipedia.

The comeback campaign

By early spring 2026, his gubernatorial campaign was polling in the low-to-mid single digits. He surged after frontrunner Eric Swalwell dropped out in April, according to The Sacramento Bee. On the trail, Becerra said he aimed to "deliver a California we can afford, and defend a California we can’t afford to lose." He also said, "Californians don’t expect a miracle from government," and at one point declared, "There’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s got a law degree and a union card."

The win

Becerra defeated Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host endorsed by Trump, and Hilton conceded on election night, per The Sacramento Bee. With 100% of the expected vote reporting, ABC7 San Francisco showed Becerra with 5,186,352 votes (64%) to Hilton's 2,894,119 (36%). He will be California's first Latino governor since 1875, succeeding Gov. Gavin Newsom.

What he says comes next

After the results came in, Becerra posted on X: "We did it, California. Thank you. I’m honored to be your next Governor, and I’ll fight for every family in this state, every single day. Let’s get to work." according to his post. In a separate post, he wrote: "The California Dream is universal. It’s non-negotiable. And yes, it is undeportable." per his post. He also wrote on X: "Diversity isn’t our shortcoming. It’s our superpower." according to Becerra's post.