Xavier Becerra: Peleamos y ganamos tras victoria electoral

Peleamos y ganamos, declaró Xavier Becerra tras su victoria en las elecciones para gobernador de California, según cobertura de Univision 34. Becerra aseguró la victoria al derrotar al retador republicano Steve Hilton y extender el control demócrata sobre el estado más poblado del país, según informó Univision 34.

Becerra Celebrates Milestone for Hispanic Representation in Sacramento

The campaign headquarters in Sacramento buzzed with emotion as supporters celebrated a milestone for Hispanic representation in state leadership. Becerra opened his remarks by thanking his family, including his mother, an immigrant from Guadalajara, Jalisco, and his three daughters, alongside his wife. Those early struggles forged the path for a political career spanning more than three decades in state and federal office. ¡Qué gran noche para ser californiano! ¡Qué gran noche para ser estadounidense! ¡Para ser hijo de inmigrantes! expressed Becerra, who is 68 years old and will become the first Latino governor of California elected by popular vote.

In an event following his victory on Tuesday night, Becerra told his followers, recalling his immigrant roots, that la era Becerra que ahora comienza realmente empezó cuando Manuel y María Teresa arrived in the United States from Mexico para construir su sueño californiano. He also stated, Somos el lugar más diverso de América, when referring to California.

I didn’t run to make history. I ran to make a difference, Becerra told the cheering crowd. He framed his administration around the everyday realities of working families confronting high living costs, housing shortages, and economic inequality.

Contasting Visions for California Governance

The general election pitted Becerra against Steve Hilton, a businessman, former Fox News presenter, and British native who obtained U.S. citizenship in 2021. Born in the United Kingdom and a resident of that country for much of his life, Hilton worked as an advisor to former British Prime Minister David Cameron. Hilton centered his platform on cutting state bureaucracy and lowering taxes. In contrast, Becerra leaned on his extensive resume—stretching from the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as a congressman for 12 terms from 1993 to 2016 and chaired the Hispanic Caucus from 1997 to 1999 and the House Democratic Caucus from 2013 to 2017, to his tenure as California Attorney General and his post as Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Biden administration—to present himself as a pragmatic mainstream Democrat.

During his time as attorney general from 2017 to 2021, Becerra took the first Trump administration to court on 122 separate occasions.

Transition to January 2027 and Policy Priorities

Becerra will succeed outgoing Governor Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited, when he takes the oath of office in January 2027. Los Angeles Press detailed that the incoming governor intends to focus his initial agenda on expanding healthcare access, supporting first-generation college students, and assisting small business owners dealing with tight capital markets.

Hilton proposed cutting taxes and regulations, whereas Becerra defended a greater state intervention to expand access to housing and healthcare services. The new governor also directed a message to the political sectors that, as he denounced, use disinformation and social divisions to gain power.

There is no greatness of America without California, Becerra told his supporters in Sacramento. And there is no California without our diverse communities.