Kamala Harris will not run for California governor, ending months of feverish speculation and raising fresh questions about the next chapter of her political career.
The former vice president — a California native who rose to prominence as attorney general and U.S. senator for the state — announced today that she would skip next year’s open gubernatorial race. Though she did not confirm other plans, the decision leaves open the possibility that Harris will make another bid for the White House in 2028.
“I love this state, its people and its promise. It is my home. But after deep reflection, I’ve decided that I will not run for Governor in this election,” Harris wrote in a statement posted on social media. “For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office.”
Conjecture about what Harris would do next began almost immediately after she lost the November election to President Donald Trump. The 60-year-old Harris is still relatively young in political terms, and her flashy 107-day drive for the presidency, after then-President Joe Biden dropped out, reignited public interest in a figure who had been pushed to the margins in Washington, D.C.
Many observers came to see the California governorship as a natural landing spot. Harris previously passed on the office to run for U.S. Senate in 2016, averting a showdown with future Gov. Gavin Newsom and setting off her rapid ascent in national politics. With Newsom terming out next year, the 2026 gubernatorial race is wide open, and California’s outsized role in the political discourse still provides its governor with a stage that can reach far beyond the state.
But seeking the office would have almost certainly forestalled a campaign in the next presidential election, which will kick into overdrive in early 2027, just as California’s new governor is taking office.
And despite returning to the state, where she lives in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood, Harris appeared in recent months to be more interested in cultivating her place in the national spotlight.
She publicly dipped back into politics in April with a speech at a fundraiser in San Francisco, where she warned that Trump was fomenting a constitutional crisis and called on Democrats to stand together to fight back against his dismantling of American values.
A month later, she skipped out on the California Democratic Party convention, where other gubernatorial hopefuls were busy building relationships.
In her statement, Harris alluded to “this moment of crisis” in our country and said she would “remain in that fight.”
“I look forward to getting back out and listening to the American people, helping elect Democrats across the nation who will fight fearlessly, and sharing more details in the months ahead about my own plans,” she said.
The crowded field of California gubernatorial candidates is no doubt breathing a sigh of relief at the news. Harris’ near-universal awareness with the public and her nationwide fundraising network would have made her the immediate frontrunner in the race and likely sent many of her fellow Democrats scurrying for the exit.
Now the party establishment and voters can have a serious conversation about the actual candidates, their viability and narrowing the expansive field to avoid being shut out of the top two in California’s nonpartisan primary next June, said Hilary McLean, a Democratic public affairs consultant.
“This allows that process to start happening in earnest,” McLean said. “It refocuses the election on the future of California instead of relitigating the last election.”
The race has already drawn numerous ambitious Democrats, including include former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Controller Betty Yee, former state Senate leader Toni Atkins, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and timeshare magnate Stephen Cloobeck.
Former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco are the most prominent Republicans in the field.
Early public polling is spotty, but an April survey from Inside California Politics and Emerson College found that 31% of voters supported a theoretical Harris campaign, while no other contender exceeded single digits.
Most of the top Democrats released statements after Harris bowed out praising her record of public service — including Villaraigosa, who previously attacked Harris for covering up Biden’s mental decline — and positioning themselves as best equipped to address California’s high cost of living.
McLean noted that several of them also immediately began fundraising off of Harris’ announcement, seeking to regain momentum in a campaign largely frozen in recent months as major donors and endorsers awaited Harris’ decision.
“It’s certainly going to take a while for any kind of frontrunner to emerge,” McLean said. “This decision doesn’t position any one candidate far above others.”