Biden's Top Health Official, Xavier Becerra, Enters The Race To Succeed California Gov. Gavin Newsom

Former Biden administration Health Secretary Xavier Becerra on Wednesday became the latest Democrat to join the crowded field seeking to become California's next governor, a contest that could be dramatically reshaped if former Vice President Kamala Harris becomes a candidate.

The Stanford Law School graduate enters the race with a lengthy resume of government service, including stints as California attorney general, a U.S. House member and a state legislator. In December 2020, then-President-elect Joe Biden picked Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting a defender of the Affordable Care Act in a leading role to oversee his administration's coronavirus response.

In a heavily Democratic state with punishing housing and grocery prices and some of the nation's highest gas and utility costs, Becerra said working families are facing an affordability crisis.

"The California Dream is slipping away," he said in a statement announcing his run.

The contest to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom already has lured a large scrum of announced and likely candidates that would be reordered if Harris decides to seek the state's top office. Harris, a former state attorney general and U.S. senator, has not ruled out seeking the governorship since she left Washington in January after a failed presidential bid.