Padilla Rules Out California Governor Bid, Says He’ll ‘Stay in This Fight’ in Senate

The Democratic senator says he was urged to run but will remain in the Senate, citing a duty to defend rights and ’the American dream.’

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) speaks at a press conference at the Democracy Center, Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles on Aug. 14, 2025. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced he will not run for governor next year as voters back in his home state went to the polls on Nov. 4 to weigh in on mid-decade redistricting.

“I want to begin by saying, I love California,” he said at a news conference in Washington. Standing alongside his wife, he called California “our home” and lauded its universities and clean-energy ambitions as he expressed appreciation for “Californians’ resilience.”

He then made his announcement. “It is with a full heart, and even more commitment than ever, that I am choosing to not run for governor of California next year,” Padilla said. “I choose not just to stay in the Senate. I choose to stay in this fight.” He added that “the Constitution is worth fighting for,” along with “our fundamental rights,” “our core values,” and “the American dream.”

Presenting his decision against the backdrop of national politics, he criticized President Donald Trump’s policies on immigration, tariffs, and federal funding, saying families and immigrant communities in California “have been terrorized.”

Padilla said he had been “honored and humbled” by the encouragement to run by his colleagues, business and labor leaders, community leaders, and everyday Californians.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is term-limited and cannot run again in 2026.

Padilla’s decision follows another high-profile Democrat stepping aside from the 2026 governor’s race.

In late July, former Vice President Kamala Harris said she would not run. “After deep reflection, I’ve decided that I will not run for governor in this election,” Harris said, calling it “a profound honor” to have served California and the nation and signaling she would focus on helping elect Democrats and sharing plans “in the months ahead.” Harris did not say whether she would seek the 2028 presidential nomination.

Former Rep. Katie Porter entered the 2026 race on March 11 with a video on social media, pitching “a little bit of hope and a whole lot of grit.” Porter, a consumer protection attorney who gave up her House seat to run for Senate in 2024, said she would “go toe to toe with anyone who tries to hurt Californians,” with a platform advocating for LGBT communities, immigrants, and abortion access and taking on “big oil, big banks, and big pharma.”

The field remains crowded.

Declared Democrats include former Senate leader Toni Atkins, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, state schools chief Tony Thurmond, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Controller Betty Yee, and former labor official Michael Younger.

Republican entrants include Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, Sharifah Hardie, Brandon Jones, and Leo Zacky, with Rick Caruso publicly weighing a bid and several other Republicans—among them Brian Dahle, Richard Grenell, Steve Hilton, and Caitlyn Jenner—expressing interest.

Padilla closed by repeating his rationale for staying put. “I will continue to do just that,” he said, “with love and support of my wife, Angela, and our entire family, and so many Californians.”