Becerra Faces Backlash Over Interview Exchange With Reporter

A Democratic frontrunner in California's gubernatorial race faced backlash after an awkward exchange caught on camera with a local television reporter, in which he sought assurances the interview would focus on his record rather than tough scrutiny.

The incident occurred Tuesday during a sit-down with KTLA reporter Annie Rose Ramos in Los Angeles. As cameras rolled, Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary and California attorney general, asked: "By the way, this is a profile piece, this is not a gotcha piece, right?" Ramos replied that her questions would be fair to learn about him as a candidate. Becerra pressed: "As long as it's about the profile." When Ramos said she did not know how he defined profile and wanted to begin, he elaborated: "The way I describe profile is you talk about all the things that I've done, the things I want to do, along with some tough questions, but not only tough questions."

The exchange quickly spread online, drawing criticism from Democrats, Republicans and independents. Former Obama official Tommy Vietor said politicians should let staff handle such discussions off camera. Democratic strategist Michael Trujillo called it an...