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Former Biden DOJ spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa said she didn't have confidence in Xavier Becerra, the Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary during the Biden administration, to lead California on Tuesday after the state's gubernatorial debate.
Hinojosa told a panel on "CNN Newsnight" the California governor would need to be someone who can fight back against President Donald Trump, saying, "Whoever is going to be governor will have to stand up to Donald Trump. Can I tell you, after working in Joe Biden's administration? I do not trust Xavier Becerra to do that."
The statement surprised members of the CNN panel, including analysts Scott Jennings and Van Jones, and a panelist was heard saying, "Whoa!"
"I don't trust that he would be able to do that because I don't trust that he would be able to stand up to Trump and lead," she said.
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Host Abby Phillip then pressed Hinojosa on why.
"Because when I saw him in the administration, and I think a lot of people did, and it's people understand this," Hinojosa said. "It's, he was not effective in governing. And I think that a lot of people in the Biden administration are talking about this because they realize that he was not an effective HHS secretary.
"If you ask any Cabinet secretary, they would tell you the same thing," she continued. "And, so, I think that there is a, I think people recognize this. And I think this is why Tom Steyer has gone to the top."
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Phillip said it wasn't the first time she has heard that either, adding, "What she's talking about is the real thing."
"The attacks against Becerra were not about what he was or wasn't going to do in California," the host continued. "It was about his record in the Biden administration. It was about his character. It was about his leadership. And I do think that's going to be a problem.
"I'm not sure that the Joe Biden-adjacent brand is a good brand right now anywhere in this country," Phillip added. "And I also think that the HHS situation, when you dig deeper into what he did in that role, that could be a problem for him."
Politico reported that Becerra had become the "Joe Biden of the California governor's race."
When reached for comment, the Becerra campaign directed Fox News Digital to a statement from Ron Klain, a former White House chief of staff to President Biden, who said, "Secretary Becerra was among the most valued and highest performing members of the President's cabinet. His leadership on the migrant issues and health care coverage were unmatched, and he achieved a historic win for the American people on lowering prices of prescription drugs."
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Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco and Democrats Katie Porter, Matt Mahan, Antonio Villaraigosa and Becerra participated in a debate on CNN Tuesday.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that many Democrats wished former Vice President Kamala Harris would have run for governor.
Former Rep. Eric Swalwell ending his campaign for governor and resigning from Congress amid allegations of sexual misconduct upended the race and the Times noted that Rusty Hicks, the chairman of California's state Democratic Party, "has urged candidates to 'honestly assess' whether they should remain in the race."
Democratic strategist and former Obama advisor David Axelrod said the situation is like a "high-stakes NASCAR race where the cars aren't going very fast, but running each other off the road before one rushes to the front at the end."
