Harris Won't Run For CA Governor 'After Deep Reflection'

Former vice president Kamala Harris isn't running for Golden State governor, she announced Wednesday. The news is expected to have a dramatic impact on the race, drawing out candidates, who spent the year waiting to see if she would become the instant frontrunner in 2026.

The announcement comes after Harris, who is a California native, lost the last presidential election to Donald Trump six months ago.

"In recent months, I have given serious thought to asking the people of California for the privilege to serve as their Governor," she wrote in a statement.

"But after deep reflection, I've decided that I will not run for Governor in this election."

Harris says she will not seek any elected office "for now," and that she will share her plans for the future in the months ahead.

"I look forward to getting back out and listening to the American people, helping elect Democrats across the nation who will fight fearlessly."

Harris, a former U.S. senator and attorney general of California, says voters should be willing to pursue change, "committed to our same values and principles, but not bound by the same playbook."

Since she returned to Los Angeles in January, she has been notably missing from political events while she was debating a gubernatorial run.

In May, Harris addressed a convention hall full of the state's Democratic activists in Anaheim. But her voice did not ring out in person. Instead, she spoke to the crowd through a video call.

As rumors swirled earlier this year that Harris would run for Newsom's seat in 2026, comments surfaced from doubtful Democrats.

"It's just that she lost the presidential race, and she's been almost — gone. We don't hear from her. We don't see her," Denise Rob, a Democratic Party delegate from Pasadena, told The Washington Post.

Her address in May at the Anaheim hall reportedly garnered lukewarm applause. Meanwhile, her former running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, delivered speeches that sent the crowd into a cheering frenzy. Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey gave a speech that received similar enthusiasm.

Harris reportedly did not speak much of Golden State issues.

"I wonder where her priorities are, and where she's at right now," a delegate from Santa Cruz told the Times. "I do support her and think that she's great, but right now I have more questions than answers."

Other delegates said they were skeptical of the job she would do as California's governor.

"I liked her as a presidential candidate, but it was a different job," Amanda Day, a delegate from Merced, told the Post. "Coming back to California is a whole other story."

Before serving as U.S. senator and vice president, she was elected state attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco.

But after years in Washington on the national and international stage, it was never clear if Harris was interested in returning to the less-glamorous world of statehouse politics in Sacramento.

So far, 19 candidates have stepped up to try their hand at winning Newsom's termed-out seat.

Young voters

Democratic strategist Sean Clegg, a longtime Harris adviser, said the former vice president was tempted to make a gubernatorial run but decided to explore other options. Among the possibilities she has considered: starting a nonprofit to engage younger voters.

“She's been in elective office for 22 straight years, she's been in public service since she got out of law school,” Clegg said. “Having spent her entire life inside the system, she's more motivated, more excited by the opportunity to make change outside of the system.”

“Her decision, at the end of the day, it was just a gut decision,” Clegg added. “She asked herself, ‘Do I want to go back into the system as the top elected official in California, or do I want to try to do something completely different?’”

Another White House run?

Outside California, Harris’ political career has been marked by historic firsts but also disappointments.

Harris sought the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, but dropped out of the race before the leadoff Iowa caucuses — the first defeat of her political career. After Joe Biden chose her as his running mate, she made history as the first woman, Black person or person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president. In 2024, Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee after Biden left the race months before Election Day and endorsed her. She lost that race to Trump, who won every swing state.

Harris faces some uncertainty if she chooses to make another White House run.

Harris would have to convince national Democrats that she’s the face of the party’s future, despite losing to Trump last fall. She also carries the baggage of being tied to Biden, whom Democrats have increasingly criticized for seeking a second term rather than stepping aside. Biden’s legacy was tarnished as he left office, and since then new questions have swirled about his physical and mental abilities as his term ended.

The 2028 presidential contest is expected to attract a large field, which could potentially include Newsom. Any candidate will have to unify a fractious Democratic Party with low approval ratings that is struggling to slow Trump’s agenda in Washington.

In her most extensive public remarks since leaving office in January, Harris said in a San Francisco speech that Trump’s leadership represented a “ wholesale abandonment ” of American ideals.

Harris’ decision not to seek the governorship keeps the contest to replace Newsom wide open. The Democratic field includes former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Biden administration health secretary Xavier Becerra and a handful of state officeholders.

In a statement, Villaraigosa speculated that Harris' political career was not over. Her decision, he said, “reflects her continued commitment to serving at the highest levels of government."

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP Political Writer contributed to this report.