SACRAMENTO - Sen. Alex Padilla said Tuesday he will not run for governor of California next year.

“I choose not just to stay in the Senate,” the California Democrat told reporters at the Capitol. “I choose to stay in this fight because the Constitution is worth fighting for. Our fundamental rights are worth fighting for. Our core values are worth fighting for. The American dream is worth fighting for,” the Sacramento Bee reported.

Padilla, who became a senator in 2021 after Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed him to succeed Vice President Kamala Harris, won a full term in 2022. He’s become active in the Senate on immigration issues, drawing national attention earlier this year when he was handcuffed and forced to the floor by federal officials when he tried to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question at a Los Angeles news conference.

Tuesday, he spoke after the usual lunch meeting of Democratic senators. “It is with a full heart, and even more commitment than ever, that I am choosing to not run for governor of California next year,” Padilla said.

Story Date: November 7, 2025