Former Biden officials have been privately gossiping about Xavier Becerra’s rise in the governor's race, with several former colleagues describing the ex-HHS secretary as ineffective and unprepared in his response to the COVID pandemic and other crises.As Politico reports, Becerra’s former colle agues said his gubernatorial campaign has become a recurring topic in alumni group chats as his polling improves. Multiple former officials, speaking anonymously, criticized Becerra’s handling of major crises during his time leading the Department of Health and Human Services, claiming he often took a backseat during pandemic response efforts and struggled in meetings with the White House.“He ran one of the most consequential agencies in government at the height of the pandemic,” said one official. “But he took a backseat to Dr. Fauci and his team, didn’t visibly lead on implementation and had to go through layers to get to POTUS even as a Cabinet member.”According to Politico, the criticism spilled into public view this week after rival gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan referenced Becerra’s record during a CNN debate, and former Biden Justice Department communications director Xochitl Hinojosa later called him “not effective” during post-debate coverage. “A lot of people in the Biden administration are talking about this because they realize that he was not an effective HHS secretary,” Hinojosa said. “And if you ask any Cabinet secretary, they would tell you the same thing.”Fellow candidate Tom Steyer reiterated the sentiment on social media the following day. “Xavier Becerra’s colleagues don’t trust him,” he said. “Why should you?”Xavier Becerra’s colleagues don’t trust him. Why should you? pic.twitter.com/rfAW2q1Z2R— Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) May 6, 2026 Other former Biden officials and allies of Becerra, including former White House chief of staff Ron Klain and former Domestic Policy Council chair Neera Tanden, pushed back on the characterization, defending Becerra’s record on healthcare expansion, Medicare drug negotiations, and insulin price caps, per Politico.Some critics acknowledged that Becerra’s rise reflects a weak roster of Democratic candidates, with many viewing him as the strongest option to keep Tom Steyer and leading Republicans from dominating the race.Image: California gubernatorial candidate former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra looks on during a CNN California Governor Primary Debate at East Los Angeles College on May 05, 2026 in Monterey Park, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) ...read more read less