Xavier Becerra (Latin American Spanish: [xaˈβjeɾ βeˈsera]; born January 26, 1958) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 25th United States secretary of health and human services under President Joe Biden from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Becerra previously served as the 33rd attorney general of California from 2017 to 2021 and as a U.S. representative from California from 1993 to 2017.
The son of Mexican immigrants, Becerra was born and raised in Sacramento and received Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from Stanford University. He worked as an administrative assistant for state senator Art Torres and as a deputy attorney general in the California Department of Justice in the late 1980s. He served in the California State Assembly from 1990 to 1992.
First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992, Becerra chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus from 1997 to 1999 and the House Democratic Caucusfrom 2013 to 2017. In 2017, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Becerra to replace Kamala Harris as attorney general after Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate. He was elected to a full term in 2018 and served until he joined the Biden cabinet in 2021.
Endorsements
Planned Parenthood, California Young Democrats, many unions and Democratic officials. A full list is shown on his endorsements page.
Reputation/Scandals/Successes
The Pros: Reputation as an Experienced, Safe Choice [1]
- Steady institutionalist: Backers describe him as a “proven leader” who knows how to navigate the complex machinations of government without the need for “training wheels”.
- Progressive fighter: He earned a strong national profile as California Attorney General by filing over 100 lawsuits defending progressive policies and the Affordable Care Act against the Trump administration.
- Drama-free alternative: Following the exit of several high-profile contenders in the primary, voters seeking a more stable, less flashy figure than previous leadership have gravitated toward him as a safe choice.
- Deep community roots: As a high-profile Latino leader, he is highly trusted by labor organizations and parts of the state’s largest ethnic demographic, which affectionately refers to him on social media campaigns as “Tío Xavier”. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
The Cons: Criticisms of Ineffectiveness and Caution
- “Invisible” leadership: Critics, including former colleagues and medical experts, have heavily criticized his tenure as federal Health and Human Services Secretary, claiming he was noticeably absent or slow to respond during major public health crises and the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Federal oversight failures: Opponents regularly target his handling of unaccompanied migrant children at the border, highlighting investigations that showed the agency failed to thoroughly vet adult sponsors.
- Unemployment fraud: Critics and state prosecutors frequently point to his time as California’s Attorney General, during which the state suffered multi-billion-dollar taxpayer fraud via pandemic unemployment claims.
- Stiff communicator: Strategists and media analysts note that he lacks populist charisma, often speaking in cautious, heavily measured language that can come across as evasive or overly defensive in tense media interviews. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Recent Scandal Involving Staff
His reputation as a “straight-A student” has also faced fresh headwinds due to a major fraud case. His closest advisor and former chief of staff, Sean McCluskie, recently pleaded guilty to stealing campaign funds. While Becerra has not been personally implicated or legally linked to the theft, political rivals have aggressively seized on the scandal to call him “too much of a risk” for the governorship
Campaign contributors
Has raised over $6.2M. Mix of individuals, labor and Indian PACs. A full list available at transparencyusa.org.
