As Xavier Becerra maintains a significant lead in the gubernatorial race, his lack of a comprehensive education plan has left observers analyzing his cautious, deliberative approach to state policy.
For the nearly 6 million students enrolled in California’s public schools. the path forward under a potential Xavier Becerra administration remains an exercise in reading between the lines. While his Republican challenger. Steve Hilton. has campaigned on a sweeping checklist of mandates—from cellphone bans and teacher firings to mandatory grade retention—Becerra has pointedly avoided laying out a detailed educational blueprint.
To his supporters and veteran observers of the state’s political landscape. this isn’t a sign of indifference. but of a calculated. measured style. Jack O’Connell. who served in the state Assembly with Becerra in the early 1990s and later became superintendent of public instruction. describes him as a fundamentally “thoughtful person.”.
“He’s not going to make a flip comment just to get headlines for the day,” O’Connell said. “I’m sure his proposals will be well thought out, based on research and data and study.”
Becerra himself framed this caution as a defense against the pressures of the campaign trail. “I can make some really big promises. But that doesn’t get us anywhere,” he told Politico in August. “It may get us elected, but I would prefer not to run on inflated promises that I can’t deliver on.”
This deliberative pace has become a hallmark of his run. With a substantial lead—polls in September by Berkeley IGS showed him with 58% of likely voter support compared to Hilton’s 33%—Becerra is operating. as political strategist Dan Schnur puts it. like a “quarterback with a three-touchdown lead late in the fourth quarter.” For a candidate who served as deputy attorney general from 1987 to 1990. in the state Assembly from 1990 to 1992. as a U.S. representative from 1993 to 2017, and later as state attorney general from 2017 to 2021 before being confirmed as U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services in 2021, the strategy is clear: avoid unnecessary risk and emphasize stability.
While his official campaign website prioritizes healthcare. housing. the economy. AI oversight. clean energy. disaster preparedness. homelessness. and his history of fighting the Trump administration—most notably by filing 122 lawsuits as attorney general—his education policy remains. in the words of former State Board of Education President Michael Kirst. “a work in progress.”.
“My impression is that he hasn’t even focused deeply on the subject,” Kirst said. “He will get through this time. I’m not criticizing it. He hasn’t even been elected, so he’s proceeding in his style.”
Despite the lack of a formal platform, Becerra has offered fragments of his priorities through social media and interviews. He has consistently championed early childhood education and tuition-free community colleges. arguing that the “California Dream starts in the classroom.” He has voiced support for college and career pathways in green technology and STEM fields. a focus Linda Darling-Hammond. president of the California State Board of Education. believes reflects his broader goals. “He does care a lot about kids and their learning,” she said. “He really cares about early childhood.”.
Becerra’s own upbringing as the son of Mexican immigrants, who arrived in the U.S. with $12 to their names, resonates with many. Lupita Cortez Alcalá. executive director of the nonprofit Policy Analysis for California Education. noted that hearing him speak about his journey to graduating from Stanford in 1984 carries weight. “Having that background and understanding about the importance of access to opportunity… it resonates with me and my family and my experience. ” she said.
His relationship with the California Teachers Association (CTA) provides a final layer of complexity. Though the union has endorsed him, it did so only after initial support for Eric Swalwell and Tom Steyer. Kirst suggests this lack of initial alignment may grant Becerra more freedom to maneuver than his predecessors. The CTA, which had donated $39,200 to his campaign by October 1, appears satisfied with the current dynamic. As CTA President David Goldberg put it: “Our initial thing is to get folks elected. That’s our goal. He looks like he is well on his way to doing that.”.
For now, the state’s education establishment remains patient, waiting to see who Becerra will appoint as commissioner of the California Department of Education—a choice that will ultimately define the direction of the state’s schools far more clearly than his campaign speeches.
Xavier Becerra California Governor Education Policy California Teachers Association Steve Hilton California schools election 2026