My Closing Argument to the People of California

On Tuesday, millions of Californians will cast a ballot to help determine the kind of state we want to live in together.

So if you’re one of the many who are still trying to make their mind up about who to vote for in this election, I get it. Our political system can be demoralizing, and the frustration and fear people feel in the Trump era makes it clear that the choices we make in elections have never been more important.

Your vote matters, and you want to make the right choice. So as you consider your vote, I want you to hear a few things straight from me:

I’m not in this race for me. I’m in it for you. There are no people like the people of California. I’m proud to have the best of us on my side—from nurses to educators and school employees, from environmentalists to stagehands to childcare providers. I love this state’s optimism and grit. The fact that the world has always looked to us for a glimpse of the future. And I decided to run for governor for a very simple reason: The people who make this state work should be able to afford to live here.

If the people ripping you off are against me, I must be doing something right. Unlike my opponents, I am not funded by any special interests or big corporations. Zero. I don’t need their money, and I’ll never do their dirty work. You deserve a governor who won’t sell you out to the highest bidder—who will take decisive action to change the status quo. I will. And that’s why so many massive corporations, from Chevron to Meta to Big Tobacco, are spending tens of millions of dollars to defeat me.

I know exactly how I am going to lower costs quickly for Californians—and I don’t care who hates me for it. I have the most detailed plans of anyone in this race on how to make California more affordable—when it comes to lowering your utility bills, when it comes to making housing cost less, when it comes to making our highest earners pay what they ought to be paying, and more. I’m the only progressive candidate in this race, and it’s not even close.

I know a lot of people have reservations about voting for a billionaire. I get it. I see the ways so many billionaires lie, cheat, and steal to get whatever they can out of the system—and then do everything they can to hoard their wealth and avoid paying taxes. I’m absolutely against that. I wasn’t born a billionaire, I won’t die a billionaire, and I’ll never govern for billionaires. As governor, I’ll raise taxes on billionaires, and I’m the only leading candidate who will say that.

I know this race has often felt complicated. But with one day left until Election Day, with everything on the table, it’s actually become very simple:

Do you want a California for corporations, or a California for Californians?

Do you want this to be a state where our healthcare system puts profit over people? Do you want this to be a state where Big Oil charges you eight dollars a gallon for gas? A state where special interests rig the system for themselves? These aren’t difficult questions. I know my answer. And if I’ve been hearing you right these last several months, I think I know your answer, too.

For too long, we’ve had a system where corporations buy off politicians to protect their profits. We’ve seen it in this race. Chevron cuts you a check, and you look the other way when they hike prices at the pump. Meta gives you money, and your AI plan starts sounding like ChatGPT.

That’s the story of Xavier Becerra’s campaign.

He suddenly dropped his support for single-payer, and then the most powerful anti-single-payer lobby maxed out to his campaign. He supported more drilling in California, and the next week Big Oil thanked him with half a million dollars.

I’m running because I believe Californians deserve better than that.

I might be the only billionaire on the ballot, but I’m not the only one in this race. In this race, the corporations and billionaires have picked their candidate. Xavier Becerra is backed by a roster of corporations and billionaires who got rich by ripping you off—and who want a governor who’ll let them keep doing it. Chevron, Meta, Uber, Airbnb, PG&E, and McDonald’s have given tens of millions of dollars to boost his campaign, and stop ours. Big Tobacco was the latest addition to this list.

So, just ask yourself: Do you really want the same future Chevron does? Do you want the same things Meta wants? Does Big Tobacco want good things for the people of California? These companies might be selfish, but they’re not stupid. They don’t give hundreds of thousands of dollars to get someone elected, unless they know he’s going to be on their side. It’s not charity. It’s an investment. And they expect a return on that investment in Xavier Becerra.

How do I know that we can win? Because we’ve done it before.

I’ve spent the last 15 years taking on powerful special interests hell-bent on preserving the status quo. When we first said we wanted to take on Big Oil, all the Sacramento insiders told us there was no way we’d win. That there was no way we’d beat the powerful interests we were up against. But we went ahead anyway. And we didn’t just beat the special interests—we smashed them.

It turned out that closing tax loopholes for wealthy out-of-state corporations didn’t drive business away—it just raised money for schools. And it turned out that free lunch for every child in California wasn’t a utopian idea—it was just a good one. And it turned out that Big Tobacco wasn’t invincible, and Big Oil wasn’t unbeatable—someone just had to stand up to them.

I led a campaign to impeach Donald Trump at a time when other Democrats were still preaching “norms” and “civility.” We started a movement of 8 million Americans demanding his impeachment. Because I’ve been in enough boardrooms to know a crook when I see one.

We won free lunch for every kid in California. We built 17,000 units of affordable housing. We secured billions of dollars for schools, healthcare, and clean energy projects—all without costing Californian taxpayers a cent. That’s what we were able to do from outside the governor’s office. Imagine what we’ll be able to do from within it. If we win, corporations lose.

I’m running for governor because I believe in a not-so-radical idea: California should work for working people. The people that make this state work should be able to afford to live here. The young people who’re getting screwed should be able to feel hope for their future—a future in California. This is the richest state in the richest country in the history of the world. It’s unacceptable that so many Californians struggle to make ends meet. Here’s the truth: for every bill that’s too high, there’s a special interest profiting off of keeping it there. They want you to believe that’s inevitable. That it’s just how the market works. But they’re wrong. We don’t have to accept this. I’m running for governor because I know that a better California is possible. I know what it looks like. And I know we can win it together.

So many Californians tell me that they don’t believe government can do anything for them. They don’t believe it can work. There’s only one candidate who’ll change that. Let’s show them how great this state can be.

We can prove that single-payer is possible, and homeownership is achievable, and that corporate monopoly power is not inevitable.

We can close corporate tax loopholes to fund our schools and healthcare.

We can stand up to Trump and put ICE in jail.

We can make polluters pay—instead of cashing their checks.

When you cast your ballot, it’s not about me. It’s about single-payer. It’s about climate progress. It’s about housing. It’s about taxing billionaires, which no other candidate has said they will do.

We can prove that a California that works for working people is possible. That’s what’s on your ballot. But I can’t do it alone. And I wouldn’t want to. I need you—all of you. Today, tomorrow, and every day after.

That’s why I’m asking for your support today—because a better California is only possible if we vote for it.