Becerra’s Banner Bad Week Rolls Right Into the Next

Will he keep dodging tough questions and giving scripted answers?

CALIFORNIA — Last week was a remarkably bad one for Xavier Becerra. From his KTLA interview fumble to his former top aide pleading guilty to fraud involving a Becerra campaign account to having former colleagues describe him as “asleep at the wheel,” we can understand why Becerra continues to dodge the press and show up only when it’s safe and scripted. 

While Becerra asked journalists to go easy on him, Tom Steyer continued to campaign everywhere and take tough questions from everyone. His “California You Can Afford” bus tour hit 6 counties in just 7 days. 

Let’s take a look at a few more numbers that defined the governor’s race this past week: 

1,135 minutes – that’s 19 hours: time Tom spent talking to voters since last Sunday. He hosted block parties, town halls, union meet and greets, and press conferences. Tom sat down with Aaron Parnas, Jim Acosta, Molly Jong-Fast and answered tough questions from voters and from the press – because that’s what real leaders do.

7: # of stops made on the “California You Can Afford” bus tour this week in Southern California. The bus stopped in Fontana, Jurupa Valley, Los Angeles, Monterey Park, Riverside, San Diego, and Santa Ana.  

Over 500,000: members of The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC) who endorsed Steyer this week. UBC is one of North America’s largest building trades unions and has existed for more than 140 years.

$28 million: how much corporate special interests are spending against Steyer in the largest-ever superPAC spending against a candidate for governor.  

Meanwhile…

2: members of Xavier Becerra’s inner circle who have now pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges -– so far, and the questions continue to pile up.

3: times he tried to beg for a “profile piece” in an interview with KTLA, while also requesting “no tough questions”

4: new former Biden Administration officials who came forward to join the chorus of at least two dozen former colleagues who have questioned his ability to lead in times of crisis. 

5: minutes Becerra spent in his post-town hall spin room (with an exit so immediate it caused one reporter to mutter “Jesus Christ.”)

$500,000 - amount from the California Medical Association into a pro-Becerra independent expenditure. It’s the same anti-single payer group Becerra caved to, backing down on his support for single-payer after taking their check. 

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