When Harris lost the 2024 election, there was immediate speculation that she would be running for governor in California in 2026. Gavin Newsom is termed out, and in order to revive her political profile, she needed to get something positive on her record.
The election would likely be a walkover for Harris, but she just stunned the political world by saying she has no plans to run.
Harris had obviously not formally announced her candidacy, but she was already the favorite in the race.
To be honest, this is a very thin field, albeit a crowded one.
Harris was installed as a nearly 3:1 favorite right out of the gate, with Rick Caruso, a local businessman, in second place, and a host of other failed politicians behind him.
In general election polling, Harris was a double-digit favorite to win over any Republican challenger, so it just made sense that she would run.
Harris stunned everyone this week, including this writer, when she announced that she has no intention to run at this time.
In part, Harris stated, “For now, my leadership -- and public service -- will not be in elected office."
The fact that Harris considers herself a “leader” shows everything that is wrong in today’s political world. We don’t elect leaders… we elect representation, and that includes the presidency.
Harris has now walked away from the one position that could have revived her political career, so I really don’t see many options for her moving forward. Is she planning another Senate run? Possibly a move to the House. Or, after two failed runs at the presidency, is that where she wants to go again?
In current polling, the 2028 presidential election is between Harris and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Quickly rising in the polling is Governor Gavin Newsom, but I have always thought Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) would be very dangerous if he decided to run.
By not running for governor, Harris will allow other Democrats to raise their profiles, giving her an even bigger challenge than she will already have if she does decide to run.
But let’s face reality here… if the Trump administration continues to notch wins, it won’t matter who Democrats run out there. Having said that, we still need to get past the first test, that being the 2026 mid-term elections. If the GOP can hold the House and Senate in 2026, Dems can kiss their hopes of taking back the White House goodbye.
