California’s senior U.S. senator, Alex Padilla, said he is “not ruling out” a run for governor in 2026, according to an interview published by Politico on Aug. 26. Padilla’s comments immediately positioned the former secretary of state as a high-profile potential entrant in what is expected to be a crowded Democratic field once term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom leaves office. The first publicly released survey of the still-nascent race, a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll also issued on Aug. 26, shows Representative Katie Porter leading with 17% among likely voters. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco sits at 10%, followed by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at 9%. More than a third of respondents, 38%, remain undecided, underscoring how fluid the contest is nearly 16 months before the March 2026 primary. Newsom’s own political prospects continue to loom over state politics. Betting platform Polymarket puts the governor’s chances of securing the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination at roughly one-third, up from less than one-fifth 10 days earlier. Padilla, widely viewed as a close Newsom ally—Newsom appointed him to the Senate in 2021—would need to balance any statewide ambitions with the governor’s growing national profile.