Kamala Harris Won’t Run for California Governor, Clearing Way for 2026 Democratic Field

Updated 3:39 p.m. Wednesday

Former Vice President Kamala Harris announced Wednesday that she’s not running to be California’s next governor in 2026, when Gov. Gavin Newsom is termed out.

Her decision clears the field for the other prominent Democrats already in the race.

Since 2010, Harris, 60, has won two statewide races for attorney general, a race for the U.S. Senate in 2016, and she easily carried California in the 2024 presidential election, beating Donald Trump by more than 3 million votes.

After losing the presidential election last year, Harris returned home to Los Angeles, fueling speculation about her political future. In a statement on Wednesday, Harris said after “deep reflection,” she will not be pursuing elected office “for now” — leaving the door open for a potential third presidential campaign.

Her decision will help unfreeze fundraising for other Democrats already running for governor, as many major donors were waiting for Harris’ decision.

“It finally begins the race; it’s almost like the starting gun truly goes off now,” said Democratic strategist Kevin Liao. “Now I expect these donors are getting plenty of calls from the other candidates starting today, and it really allows these candidates to flesh out their vision for the state without this looming presence of Harris.”

Democrats already had a strong field of gubernatorial candidates, including former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, former Assembly Speaker and Senate President Toni Atkins and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.

Several Republicans, including Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton, are also running.

Harris would have entered the race as a strong front-runner given her name identification and fundraising prowess. But Liao said the campaign would not have been a coronation, and Harris would have faced Democratic voters frustrated with party leadership, along with questions about her knowledge of former President Joe Biden’s fitness for office.

“There’s a lot of dissatisfaction with the status quo in California, whether it’s around homelessness, whether it’s around the cost of living,” Liao said. “Having someone who pretty much epitomizes the status quo, the person who was vice president, who was the Democratic nominee for president, would have made it challenging for her and would have presented opportunities for opponents of hers.”

In her first major political speech since leaving office in January, Harris warned in April that the constitutional system of checks and balances had “begun to buckle” within the first 100 days of the Trump administration.

Former Sen. Laphonza Butler, a longtime Harris advisor and confidant who filled the Senate seat left vacant by Dianne Feinstein’s death, noted the relentless scrutiny that Harris faced as vice president and during her campaign last year.

“There’s been increased polarization during her time of public service, and I think that that is something that she has come to expect, unfortunately, as a part of being a public-facing figure,” Butler said. “That being said, I don’t think that the fear of that was a part of her decision.”

Running for governor almost surely would have ruled out a bid for president in 2028 because the term begins in January 2027, when the presidential race will be underway.

Democratic candidates for governor predictably applauded Harris’ decision and heaped praise on the former Vice President. Becerra and Porter both touted their previous work with Harris, while Kounalakis posted a video in which she revealed that Harris, a longtime friend, had given her a heads up about her decision.

“I’m very honored that she called me before any announcements were made to tell me of her plans,” Kounalakis said.

Given the state’s overwhelming advantage for Democrats, it would be an uphill battle for any Republican to beat almost any Democrat in a statewide election, something that hasn’t happened since 2006. Republicans Bianco and Hilton both blasted Harris’ record, with Bianco calling Harris’ decision not to run “the first right decision in a career full of wrong ones.”

Some candidates, such as Kounalakis, had said they would not run if Harris entered the race — and a Harris candidacy would have likely sent some Democrats scrambling to run for a different statewide office.

Marva Diaz, publisher of the nonpartisan election guide California Target Book, said Harris’ decision will help solidify the field of candidates for those down-ballot contests.

“I do think we’re going to see other people jumping into some of these [downballot] races,” she said. “But in terms of switching races, leaving the governor’s race, I don’t think we’ll see much of that.”