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U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California will not run for governor in next year’s highly watched race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, the senator unexpectedly announced in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.

The decision comes after months of speculation that California’s senior senator, who Newsom appointed to succeed former Vice President Kamala Harris after she stepped down in 2020, could throw his hat in the ring and dominate an otherwise open field.

Padilla’s Staff Confirms

Padilla’s staff confirmed Tuesday that he would not be seeking the governorship.

“It is with a full heart and even more commitment than ever that I am choosing to not be running for governor of California next year,” Padilla told reporters in

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