California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced Sunday that he would not run for California governor, a decision grounded in his belief that his legal efforts combating the Trump administration as the state\u2019s top prosecutor are paramount at this moment in history.<\/p>\n
Bonta said that President Trump\u2019s blocking of welfare funds to California and the fatal shooting of a Minnesota mother of three last week by a federal immigration agent cemented his decision to seek reelection to his current post, according to Politico, which first reported that Bonta would not run for governor. <\/p>\n
\u201cWatching this dystopian horror come to life has reaffirmed something I feel in every fiber of my being: in this moment, my place is here \u2014 shielding Californians from the most brazen attacks on our rights and our families,\u201d Bonta said in a statement. \u201cMy vision for the California Department of Justice is that we remain the nation\u2019s largest and most powerful check on power. We aren\u2019t just defending the status quo; we are securing the California Dream for the next generation. Let\u2019s finish what we started \u2014 together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonta, 53, a former state lawmaker and a close political ally to Gov. Gavin Newsom, has served as the state\u2019s top law enforcement official since Newsom appointed him to the position in 2021. In the last year, his office has sued the Trump administration more than 50 times \u2014 a track record that would probably have served him well had he decided to run in a state where Trump has lost three times and has sky-high disapproval ratings.<\/p>\n
Bonta in 2024 said that he was considering running. Then in February he announced he had ruled it out and was focused instead on doing the job of attorney general, which he considers especially important under the Trump administration. Then, both former Vice President Kamala Harris<\/a> and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)<\/a> announced they would not run for governor, and Bonta began reconsidering, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI had two horses in the governor\u2019s race already,\u201d Bonta told The Times in November. \u201cThey decided not to get involved in the end. … The race is fundamentally different today, right?\u201d<\/p>\n The race for California governor remains wide open. Newsom is serving the final year of his second term and is barred from running again because of term limits. Newsom has said he is considering a run for president in 2028.<\/p>\n Former Rep. Katie Porter \u2014 an early leader in polls \u2014 late last year faltered after videos emerged of her screaming at an aide and berating a reporter. The videos contributed to her dropping behind Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, in a November poll released by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by The Times.<\/a> <\/p>\n Porter rebounded a bit toward the end of the year, a poll by the Public Policy Institute of California showed,<\/a> however none of the candidates has secured a majority of support and many voters remain undecided.<\/p>\n California hasn\u2019t elected a Republican governor since 2006, Democrats heavily outnumber Republicans in the state, and many are seething with anger over Trump and looking for Democratic candidates willing to fight back against the current administration.<\/p>\n