Overview:
According to a statement Harris released announcing her decision, “for now, my leadership and public service will not be in office.”
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After months of frantic speculation, Kamala Harris has decided not to run for governor of California, which raises new concerns about her future in politics.
The former vice president, a native of California who gained notoriety as the state’s attorney general and U.S. senator, declared today that she would not run for governor in the upcoming election. The ruling raises the prospect that Harris would run for president again in 2028, even if she did not confirm any further plans.
This state, its people, and its promise are all things I adore. I call it home. However, after giving it some thought, I’ve made the decision not to run for governor in this election, Harris stated in a statement that was shared on social media. I’m eager to return to the streets and listen to the American people, support the election of Democrats across who will not back down, and provide more information about my personal plans in the coming months.
After Harris lost the November election to President Donald Trump, speculation about her future actions started almost immediately. In terms of politics, Harris, 60, is still relatively young. Her spectacular 107-day run for the president, which ended when then-President Joe Biden resigned, rekindled public interest in a person who had been marginalized in Washington, D.C.
The governorship of California seemed apparent to many observers as a logical next step. Harris’s quick rise in national politics was sparked by her decision to run for the U.S. Senate in 2016, which prevented her from facing future Governor Gavin Newsom. The 2026 gubernatorial contest is wide open with Newsom’s tenure ending next year, and California’s prominent position in the political discourse continues to give its governor a platform that extends well beyond the state.
However, running for office would have most likely prevented a run in the upcoming presidential race, which would begin in earnest in early 2027, right before California’s next governor takes office.
Additionally, Harris seems more interested in fostering her position in the national spotlight in recent months, even after returning to the state and relocating to the affluent Brentwood suburb of Los Angeles. In an April speech at a San Francisco fundraiser, she made her public return to politics by accusing Trump of inciting a constitutional crisis and urging Democrats to unite in opposition to his destruction of American ideals.
According to Harris at the time, they are relying on the idea that if they instill fear in certain people, it will chill others. However, they have failed to see that fear is not the sole contagious emotion. Courage spreads easily.
The news is undoubtedly a comfort to the large field of California gubernatorial contenders. Harris would have been the clear favorite in the election right away thanks to her almost universal voter awareness and extensive national fundraising network, which probably caused many of her fellow Democrats to flee.
An April survey by Inside California Politics and Emerson College revealed that 31% of voters favored a hypothetical Harris candidacy, while no other candidate’s support above single digits. However, early public polling is inconsistent.
Among them are timeshare tycoon Stephen Cloobeck, former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state controller Betty Yee, former state Senate leader Toni Atkins, former U.S. Representative Katie Porter, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis.
The two most well-known Republicans in the field are Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News anchor Steve Hilton.
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