After California gubernatorial candidate and former Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA-14) imploded, former Biden Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary and current CA gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra's star has been on the rise. A recent Emerson/Inside California Politics Poll shows Democrat Becerra is leading the governor's race at 19 percentage points, just slightly ahead of Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat billionaire Tom Steyer, who both maintain at 17 percentage points.
Lord only knows why. Becerra's record is troubling, to say the least. Becerra is connected to the federal corruption probe involving Gov. Gavin Newsom's and Becerra's former chief of staff and campaign manager, Dana Williamson, and Becerra's tenure as Joe Biden's HHS Secretary was disastrous, giving fodder for attacks by his fellow candidates, both Democrat and Republican.
Now a video is raising fresh concerns about Becerra's close connections to corruption. In 1997, then-Congressman Becerra passionately defended the Church of Scientology.
In 1997, Becerra, while serving in the House of Representatives, urged colleagues to vote for a resolution defending Scientologists in Germany, stating, “Many of my constituents,” he noted, “are members of religious minority groups like the Church of Scientology,” and they “deserve this protection.”
In 2000, he spoke at the grand opening of the headquarters for ABLE, a Scientology-affiliated group, praising the organization by saying, “You revive Hollywood… you kindle the spirit and determination of those of us who… have an opportunity to work with ABLE to make life better.”
Becerra also attended a star-studded gala at the Scientology Hollywood Celebrity Centre in 2003 in his official capacity as a U.S. representative.
This renewed scrutiny comes as Becerra continues to surge in the polls.
The Church of Scientology is considered a "religion," but many of its detractors, including former member and actress Leah Remini, consider it a criminal enterprise. Founded in the 1950s by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, it has been a haven for certain Hollywood elite like Tom Cruise and John Travolta.
However, the religion has fallen out of favor of late thanks to exposés, documentaries, reports, and allegations of financial mismanagement, extortion, and abuse of members. The fact that certain prominent members, like the wife of Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige, have disappeared without explanation has also not helped their reputation, particularly in California.
Xavier Becerra is condemning the Church of Scientology after old reports and videos surfaced of him speaking favorably of the organization during his tenure in Congress.
— The San Francisco Standard (@sfstandard) May 18, 2026
📝: Jennifer Wadsworth https://t.co/1BCI9fOOVt
But Becerra is biting back, which signals he sees this as something that could potentially hurt him.
The Becerra camp defended his actions and described what they called a troubling pattern of the Church of Scientology’s deceiving and abusive nature towards its own members, including the manipulation of an elected official.
“The Church of Scientology is facing the reckoning it deserves for decades of deception, abuse, and coercion,” Becerra campaign spokesperson Jonathan Underland told the San Francisco Standard. “It is dishonest to apply what we know today to decisions made in the 1990s and early 2000s, before the truth was public record. In the years since, public figures and elected officials like Becerra have rightly chosen to disengage. And when it comes to this particular organization, Becerra will do what he has always done: go after powerful institutions that prey on Californians.”
Hilton Accuses Taxpayer-Funded CHIRLA of Paying Illegal Immigrants to Canvass for Xavier Becerra
What is being overlooked in this scrutiny is that while Becerra used his influence to passionately advocate for questionable organizations like the Church of Scientology, when it came to Christianity and organizations that espouse it, he used that same influence to attack and make efforts to destroy their work.
While Becerra was California's Attorney General, he attempted to force the Little Sisters of the Poor to adhere to the Affordable Care Act contraceptive mandate, even though the organization should have been exempted. As head of HHS, Becerra threatened St. Francis Health Systems' accreditation for Medicaid and Medicare because the Oklahoma-based hospital maintained an eternal flame in its chapel.
#BREAKING: The federal government told an Oklahoma Catholic hospital to either blow out a sanctuary candle or stop serving elderly, disabled, and low-income patients. @BECKETlaw sent a letter to @HHSGov and @CMSGov, reminding them of Saint Francis’ right to religious freedom.… pic.twitter.com/nfNf4UJyUx
— LoriWindham (@LoriWindham1) May 3, 2023
It is interesting that he feels the need to defend his judgment about supporting the abusive record of the Church of Scientology, but offers no apologies for regularly trampling on the First Amendment rights of other religious organizations, especially if they bear the name of Christ.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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