Insiders Want Padilla to Run for California Governor

Sen. Alex Padilla’s (D-CA) potential gubernatorial run has injected a new variable into the Golden State’s political equation, and has “quickly gained traction with one group in particular: Sacramento insiders who have known Padilla for years and see him as someone they can work with,” Politico reports.

“The 2026 contest is California’s most competitive governor’s race in decades, and many Democrats are still searching for an alternative to former Rep. Katie Porter, who rose to prominence with her sharp questioning of corporate executives and government officials in Washington and is viewed by some as too progressive.”