Senator Alex Padilla will not run for governor of California next year, he said Tuesday in an emotional announcement at the U.S. Capitol that came as a surprise to many of his state’s political insiders.
Mr. Padilla, a Democrat, said that he appreciated the encouragement he had received from those who wanted him to run for the state’s highest office, but that he felt compelled to remain in the Senate to fight against President Trump’s agenda and its effects on California.
The timing and nature of the announcement caught the California political class off guard, and it did not appear that Mr. Padilla told many associates in advance, according to two people who had been talking to him about the governor’s race.
With his wife, Angela, standing by his side, Mr. Padilla recalled when federal agents tackled him in June as he asked a question of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a news conference about immigration enforcement in Los Angeles. The episode occurred just days after Mr. Trump sent thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to Southern California to quell protests and protect federal agents involved in the crackdown.
“As alarming as that experience was, not just for me and our family, but for most people who have seen the video, countless people have told me: ‘I’m glad you’re fighting for us. I’m glad you’re there,’” Mr. Padilla said, his voice choking with emotion.
“And so it is with a full heart, and even more commitment than ever, that I am choosing to not run for a governor of California next year,” he added. “I choose not just to stay in the Senate, I choose to stay in this fight.”
Mr. Padilla had previously said he would wait until after Election Day to announce whether he would run for governor next year. Gov. Gavin Newsom cannot run again because of term limits, and the race is wide open.
But Mr. Padilla surprised California officials and political experts by making his announcement as voters were still heading to the polls on Tuesday.
He gave reporters in Washington no warning during a break between news conferences by congressional leaders, and he simply stepped to a lectern set up for weekly briefings to read a prepared statement. He took no questions from reporters.
In Sacramento, power brokers around the State Capitol undertook a behind-the-scenes effort to draft Mr. Padilla because they were dissatisfied with the candidate field so far. Mr. Padilla, a former state legislator, was considered a business-friendly Democrat with the expertise to run California government. Several prominent interest groups commissioned polling that showed Mr. Padilla would have been the front-runner if he had entered the race.
He was a featured speaker at a Politico forum in Sacramento in late August, when he was asked repeatedly about a possible run for governor and did not rule it out. Last month, he told The New York Times in The Interview podcast that he was considering a run. In recent weeks, he was featured in commercials for Proposition 50, the California ballot measure to draw new congressional districts that favor Democrats, fueling speculation that he was looking to raise his profile in advance of a campaign.
So Mr. Padilla’s announcement stunned political professionals, who believed he had been leaning toward entering the race. A labor leader who saw him at a Proposition 50 campaign rally in Los Angeles on Saturday said that he appeared to be gearing up to run for governor, and that political insiders were in shock after his announcement.
It was the second time this year that a heavyweight Democrat decided not to run for California governor despite having the power to upend the race. In July, former Vice President Kamala Harris announced that she would forgo the contest.
The 2026 governor’s race has attracted a large field of Democratic contenders so far, including former Representative Katie Porter; Xavier Becerra, the former state attorney general; and Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles. On the Republican side, Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host who worked in British politics, and Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County have entered the race.
None have seized enough control to deter new entrants.
Ms. Porter had been leading in polls this year, but she lost momentum last month when an unflattering video showed her dismissing a television reporter and a second video surfaced from 2021 in which she cursed at a staff member. The blowback gave Mr. Padilla an even bigger opening and led to greater speculation within California political circles that he would run.
Some leaders in Sacramento suggested that Mr. Padilla might be motivated to return home to have a greater impact on public policy and use the power of the California executive branch to fight President Trump from the West Coast. But others have observed that Mr. Padilla has a safe Senate seat representing a Democratic state and that he has already moved his family to Washington.
Laurel Rosenhall is a Sacramento-based reporter covering California politics and government for The Times.
Annie Karni is a congressional correspondent for The Times.
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