{"id":2601803,"date":"2026-05-12T16:14:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T20:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-candidate-becerra-receives-no-high-marks-from-mayorkas\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T16:15:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T20:15:39","slug":"california-candidate-becerra-receives-no-high-marks-from-mayorkas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-candidate-becerra-receives-no-high-marks-from-mayorkas\/","title":{"rendered":"California candidate Becerra receives no high marks from Mayorkas"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornia-candidate-becerra-receives-no-high-marks-from-mayorkas%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2601803&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Alejandro Mayorkas, former Homeland Security Secretary, said he would not endorse Xavier Becerra in Becerra\u2019s California governor bid, noting he is \u201cagnostic\u201d and that, as his residence is in Washington, D.C., he doesn\u2019t want to weigh in on California politics. Mayorkas also argued it isn\u2019t fair to judge the competency of another Cabinet secretary \u201cover the fence,\u201d especially given how complex the job is.<\/p>\n<p>During a Politico event, Alex Burns pressed him about Becerra\u2019s role overseeing HHS during the Biden administration, when hundreds of thousands of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/emergency-locations-for-migrant-children-raise-safety-health-concerns-report\/\" title=\"Emergency Locations For Migrant ... Raise Safety, Health Concerns: Report\">unaccompanied immigrant children<\/a> entered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/missouri-man-charged-with-threatening-to-murder-2-us-congressmen\/\" title=\"Missouri Man Charged With Threatening to Murder 2 US Congressmen\">federal custody<\/a> and were later placed with adult sponsors. Burns pointed to an HHS Inspector General audit (from February 2024) citing issues such as delayed well-being follow-up calls, missing documentation of safety checks, and cases where children were released before background checks were fully completed.<\/p>\n<p>The article notes California\u2019s governor race is large and highly contested, with many Democratic and Republican candidates, and that polling averages put Becerra fourth going into the June 5 jungle primary.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Former Homeland Security Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/alejandro-mayorkas\">Alejandro Mayorkas<\/a> declined to endorse fellow Biden administration Cabinet official <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/xavier-becerra\">Xavier Becerra<\/a> in the latter\u2019s bid for California governor.<\/p>\n<p>Mayorkas was asked in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/putins-alleged-girlfriend-spared-from-us-sanctions\/\" title=\"Putin\u2019s Alleged Girlfriend Spared From US Sanctions\">rare public appearance<\/a> at a <em>Politico<\/em> event in Washington on Tuesday if he would support the former health and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cdc-to-release-revised-guidance-reducing-covid-19-quarantine-time-from-14-days-to-7-10\/\" title=\"CDC to release revised guidance reducing COVID-19 quarantine time from 14 days to 7-10\">human services secretary<\/a> and California attorney general in his gubernatorial bid.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4564793\/brad-raffensperger-campaign-bomb-threat-event-will-not-back-down\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Brad Raffensperger campaign has bomb threat at event location: \u2018I will not back down\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4564369\/spencer-pratt-guy-benson-los-angeles-mayor\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>\u2018There is a lot to like\u2019 about Spencer Pratt: Guy Benson<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4563680\/spencer-pratt-ultimate-outsider-joe-concha\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Spencer Pratt\u2019s campaign strategy is to be \u2018ultimate outsider\u2019: Joe Concha<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>\u201cI am agnostic with respect to the California gubernatorial race,\u201d Mayorkas told Alex Burns, <em>Politico<\/em>\u2018s senior executive editor of North America. \u201cRight now, my residence is in Washington, D.C., so you will not find me to answer your political questions in a satisfactory way. I should say there are many qualified individuals in the California race.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Burns asked if Becerra bore responsibility for losing contact with tens of thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children who came over the southern border and were placed with often unrelated adult sponsors across the United States by HHS during the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea8 NEW \u2014 Alejandro Mayorkas declines to endorse fellow Biden Cabinet member Xavier Becerra in California governor\u2019s race<\/p>\n<p>Transcript below<\/p>\n<p>POLITICO: Your former cabinet colleague, Xavier Becerra, is running for Governor of California. Do you support him in that race?<\/p>\n<p>MAYORKAS:\u2026 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6h3eFzgli0\">pic.twitter.com\/6h3eFzgli0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Anna_Giaritelli\/status\/2054262973959373033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook, I think it\u2019s very difficult for me to judge the competency or performance of another Cabinet secretary because one has to be in that position, understand the opportunities for success, the challenges that one confronts, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s fair for me to judge over the fence,\u201d Mayorkas said.<\/p>\n<p>Burns pushed back on Mayorkas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll just say, if one of my colleagues at work was asked, \u2018How do you think Alex is doing?\u2019 and they said, \u2018Well, it\u2019s a very complicated job, and I don\u2019t really think I\u2019m,\u2019 I think I might notice that it wasn\u2019t exactly a full-throated endorsement of my performance,\u201d Burns said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, that\u2019s your comment, not mine,\u201d Mayorkas said.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/2903688\/bidens-border-half-million-unaccompanied-immigrant-children\/\">More than 500,000<\/a> unaccompanied children came over the border during the Biden administration, and it was HHS\u2019s job to take care of them in federal custody before placing them with a sponsor to live with in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>A February 2024 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3118253\/hhs-lost-migrant-children-house-gop\/\">audit<\/a> by the HHS Office of Inspector General found that the agency failed to conduct timely well-being follow-up calls for 22% of children placed with sponsors, 16% of case files lacked proof that sponsors underwent safety checks, and 19% of children were released to adults before the FBI fingerprint and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >state child abuse registries shared results<\/a> with the government about the sponsors.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4561195\/high-costs-hurricanes-alligator-alcatraz-shuttering\/\">HIGH COSTS AND HURRICANES BEHIND SHUTTERING OF \u2018ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ\u2019 DETENTION CENTER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The California gubernatorial race is very crowded, with 20 Democratic candidates and 12 Republicans headed into the jungle primary election on June 5.<\/p>\n<p>A <em>RealClearPolitics<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/governor\/general\/2026\/california\/open_primary\">polling<\/a> average of two surveys conducted in mid-April through early May found Becerra ranked fourth in an open primary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alejandro Mayorkas declined to endorse Xavier Becerra for CA governor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2655,"featured_media":2601804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-collage-hwbhk0mu0-1778613219639-e1778615796538.jpg?1778599034&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[24665,4045,3813,5058,5894],"class_list":["post-2601803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-becerra","tag-california","tag-immigration","tag-mayorkas","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-collage-hwbhk0mu0-1778613219639-e1778615796538.jpg?1778599034&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2655"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2601803"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2601807,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601803\/revisions\/2601807"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2601804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2601803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2601803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2601803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}