Former Biden administration Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democratic candidate for governor of California, said he will begin posting on TikTok — but only in Spanish — as part of an effort to reach Hispanic voters ahead of the 2026 race.
Becerra’s campaign said the Spanish-only approach responds to survey data showing Hispanic adults use TikTok at higher rates than Black and white adults. The campaign plans a mix of direct-to-camera messages, policy explainers, behind-the-scenes clips and collaborations with influencers, all produced in Spanish.
"It’s critical to communicate in the language and on the platforms where voters spend their time and get their information," Becerra said in a campaign statement. In an introductory video on the platform, he said his top priorities include making housing more affordable and reducing health care costs, and he promised a "two-way conversation" with Spanish-speaking users.
A 2024 Pew Research Center survey cited by the campaign reported that nearly half of Hispanic adults use TikTok, compared with 39% of Black adults and 28% of white adults. Democratic strategists advising Becerra said the early push onto TikTok reflects an attempt to build and lock in a user base on a platform politicians are still experimenting with.
The move comes as Democrats confront evidence of a rightward shift among some Latino voters in the 2024 elections, when former President Donald Trump improved his standing with Hispanic voters in several states, including Texas, Florida and some traditionally blue states. Campaign operatives point to Spanish-language outreach and platform-specific efforts as tools to regain ground, though they say it remains uncertain whether 2024 trends will persist.
Other Democratic campaigns have adapted their outreach to Hispanics. In New Jersey’s recent governor’s race, both major-party candidates participated in Spanish-language town halls on Univision. In Virginia, Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger produced a Spanish-language radio ad referencing family and public education. Advisers to Becerra noted that working-class Latino voters often consume vertical video content on phones even if they do not frequent Spanish-language news websites.
Becerra’s TikTok strategy places him alongside several competitors and potential rivals who already have a social media foothold. U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, one of Becerra’s potential challengers in the 2026 Democratic primary, has cultivated a large TikTok audience, with more than half a million followers, compared with about 200,000 followers on Instagram and 164,000 on Facebook.
The campaign’s decision also intersects with ongoing political debate and legal developments over TikTok. Congress passed a law last year aimed at banning the app, and President Joe Biden, who signed that bill, announced before leaving office that he would not enforce it. After the Supreme Court ruled the ban constitutional, President Donald Trump suspended enforcement on his first day in office to give ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, time to seek a buyer. Trump has since repeatedly extended deadlines tied to that process and joined the platform himself; the White House launched its own TikTok account last month.
Campaign advisers said producing content in Spanish is intended to reach voters where they consume information and to engage communities that are demographically more active on TikTok. José Muñoz, a Democratic strategist advising Becerra and a former DCCC press secretary, said many Latinos are spending time on short-form video platforms and that campaigns need to meet them there.
Becerra’s campaign said it will also publish videos made by supporters and work with influencers to broaden reach. He emphasized that the outreach is meant to solicit feedback from Spanish-speaking Californians about their priorities for the next governor.
"I am the only candidate in this race who will speak to you in Spanish on this platform," Becerra says in his introduction video, adding that he wants to learn "what worries you the most and what you want from the next California governor."