Could Alex Padilla Become CA's Next Governor?

With California’s 2026 gubernatorial field still wide open, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla is among those rumored as a potential candidate with instant name recognition. Much like former Vice President Kamala Harris before she announced that she would not run, his name now looms large over the field.

In a recent interview with KCRA 3, Padilla did not rule out a possible run for California governor when asked directly. He emphasized, however, that he remains focused on the state’s November special election, including Proposition 50, which asks voters to shift Congressional district maps in favor of Democrats.

In an interview with Politico last month, Padilla spokesperson Edgar Rodriguez also declined to rule out a potential gubernatorial bid. According to that same report, field polling for the 2026 governor’s race has begun with Padilla's name included among potential candidates.

The senator’s potential bid has fueled Sacramento’s rumor mill ever since fHarris announced she would not run for governor in 2026.

Without a clear frontrunner to replace the idea of Harris, the 2026 gubernatorial contest could become the most competitive in decades.

So far, the most prominent name in the field is former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, who has gained momentum since Harris’s exit, according to a new Politico–Citrin Center Possibility Lab poll.

In that survey, 30 percent of registered voters who had planned to support Harris now said they would back Porter. Respondents listed former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as their second choice, while 11 percent favored former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.

During her tenure in Congress, Porter was a progressive leader known for her focus on consumer protection and targeting “predatory banks.” She has emerged as a formidable candidate, recently securing an endorsement from the Teamsters.

Padilla, meanwhile, could potentially draw insider support in Sacramento if he were to announce a bid.

“He’s one of the heavyweights in California politics,” influential labor lobbyist Scott Wetch told Politico. “Just the specter of him getting in has everyone’s attention.”

Padilla would also be able to hold onto his Senate seat while campaigning for governor, since he is not up for reelection until 2028.

The senator garnered national attention on June 12, when he was forcibly removed, handcuffed and pushed to the ground after attempting to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a press conference in Los Angeles. Padilla, who identified himself as a senator, interrupted Noem to press her on immigration enforcement and federal responses to protests, prompting security to escort him out.

That moment placed Padilla on a national stage, drawing widespread attention to his standoff with the federal government.

Since then, he has stepped up his public role in Gov. Newsom’s redistricting campaign. Newsom’s initiative would temporarily wrest redistricting authority from the independent commission to the Legislature, if approved by voters via Proposition 50 on the Nov. 4 special election ballot. The proposed constitutional amendment would apply to congressional maps from 2026 to 2030, effectively countering Republican-leaning redistricting efforts in other states.

Padilla began his political career on the Los Angeles City Council in 1999 and later served in the State Senate and as California secretary of state. He became the first Latino appointed to represent California in the U.S. Senate in 2021, following Harris’s elevation to the vice presidency.

“Padilla is part and has been part of the Sacramento culture,” said Jodi Hicks, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, in an interview with Politico. “He came here very young, spent a lot of time with people and has deep relationships.”