August 22, 2024: Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center.
Sacramento, California – Kamala Harris, former vice president and once the presumptive frontrunner in California’s 2026 gubernatorial race, announced Wednesday that she will not run for governor, ending months of speculation and reshaping the political future of the nation’s most populous state.
In a brief statement, Harris confirmed that her next chapter will not include elected office—at least for now. She pledged to support Democratic candidates nationwide and hinted at future plans still to be announced. The decision, while not entirely unexpected, comes at a pivotal moment for California politics and the broader Democratic Party.
Harris’s choice clears the path for a wide-open Democratic primary, one that could feature a mix of rising stars and familiar faces, all vying to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited. Among those likely to benefit are Antonio Villaraigosa, former mayor of Los Angeles; Xavier Becerra, Biden’s Secretary of Health and Human Services; former Congresswoman Katie Porter; and Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis.
The state’s political landscape now enters a new phase. Harris, a former California attorney general and U.S. senator, was long considered a natural candidate to return to state leadership. Yet since her return to Los Angeles following her 2024 presidential loss, she kept a low profile, skipped major political events, and avoided outreach to key labor unions and donors. Her presence in California’s political debates was limited, even as the state weathered federal immigration crackdowns and heightened tensions with President Trump’s administration.
Harris’s withdrawal also leaves the Democratic Party without a clear national standard-bearer. While she secured the 2024 Democratic nomination by default after President Biden declined to run for reelection, her defeat by Trump cast a long shadow. Since then, she has remained largely absent from internal party conversations, offering no public reckoning of the campaign’s failure or guidance for the party’s direction moving forward.
That vacuum has been partially filled by Governor Newsom, whose national ambitions have grown increasingly visible. His podcast, “This Is Gavin Newsom,” has featured provocative conversations with conservative firebrands like Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon—an unusual move for a Democrat, but one aimed at diagnosing the party’s setbacks. Meanwhile, Harris’s former running mate, Tim Walz, has taken on the role of apologist-in-chief, touring the country and attempting to rebuild voter trust.
Though polling suggested Harris would have been a strong gubernatorial contender, her candidacy would not have gone unchallenged. Democrats in California remain divided over her political future. Some feared a Harris bid would signal an inability to move beyond the losses of 2024, while others believed the governorship would be a step down after serving as vice president.
Now, with Harris officially out, the 2026 governor’s race is poised to become a defining contest for California Democrats—one that could shape not just the state’s direction, but the national party’s trajectory ahead of 2028.
