Becerra Was the Democrats’ THIRD Choice for Governor | Susan Crabtree

**Guest** Susan Crabtree, Senior White House and National Political Correspondent, RealClearPolitics **Guest Bio** Susan Crabtree is one of the most dogged reporters on the White House and the Secret Service beat. She is now senior White House and national political correspondent for RealClearPolitics, after 23 years in Washington covering Congress and the White House, including stints at the Washington Examiner and the Washington Free Beacon. Her reporting on the Secret Service before and after the 2024 attempt on Donald Trump’s life in Butler has made the agency a signature subject. With Jedd McFatter she wrote *Fool’s Gold: The Radicals, Con Artists, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All.* **Show Summary** **“**Here he’s just failing upwards,” says Susan Crabtree of Xavier Becerra, California’s next governor. In this episode of *State of Gold*, host Jon Slavet sits down with the veteran Washington reporter to talk about California’s political class, the Secret Service after Butler, and a White House press room she knows from the inside. Crabtree says Becerra was the party’s third choice after Eric Swalwell’s campaign imploded, and recalls him telling her years ago in Congress that he was tired and wasn’t sure he would stay. She argues Steve Hilton’s problem is registration math, with voters too disillusioned to look to government for answers. From her book *Fool’s Gold*, she tells how Willie Brown, mentor to both Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris, vouched for cult leader Jim Jones, and how Newsom’s own PlumpJack companies helped pay for his bronze bust in San Francisco City Hall. The conversation moves to the Secret Service. Crabtree says the agency is better than it was after Butler, but asks why the White House Correspondents’ dinner still ran on tickets anyone could pass along, with Director Sean Curran reporting threats up 40% this year. On Katie Zacharia’s short run as press secretary, she says no one should face that briefing room without weeks of prep: “They don’t stab you in the back. They stab you in the front.” She closes on November 3, Prop 50 and gerrymandering she says denies citizens a voice, in Texas and California alike, and national politicians who “just use California as a bank.” **Chapters** 00:00 – Cold Open: National Politicians “Just Use California as a Bank” 00:21 – RealClearPolitics Correspondent Susan Crabtree on California’s Political Class 00:28 – Becerra’s No-Show Campaign: The Third Choice Failing Upwards 02:00 – Steve Hilton’s Problem: Registration Math and Disillusioned Voters 03:26 – Fool’s Gold: Willie Brown’s Ties to Cult Leader Jim Jones 05:13 – Newsom’s Bronze Bust: How PlumpJack Helped Pay for His Statue 06:19 – Secret Service After Butler: Is the Agency Better Now? 06:44 – Correspondents’ Dinner Scare: Tickets Anyone Could Pass Along 08:15 – Director Sean Curran: Why Presidents Promote Their Own Detail Leaders 10:31 – Katie Zacharia’s Short Run: No Prep for the Briefing Room 13:45 – If Democrats Win the House: Subpoenas for Musk, Vance and Bondi 15:20 – November 3: Prop 50, Valadao, Kiley and the Gerrymander Fight **Connect with Susan Crabtree** X: https://x.com/susancrabtree RealClearPolitics: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/susan\_crabtree/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast **Connect with State of Gold** - X: https://x.com/realjonslavet - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en - Website: www.stateofgold.com