Kamala Harris declines California run – could she try again for the White House?
As she deliberated privately, the Democratic party was grappling publicly with a new political reality – one entirely reshaped by her defeat in last year's presidential election.
Approval ratings for the Democratic party had cratered. Grassroots frustration with their party's status quo swelled. And calls grew louder for Democratic officials to take a more combative – and urgent – stance against what many see as the Trump administration's authoritarian threat.
On Wednesday, when Harris announced that she would not run for governor of California, she also made clear that she had been listening.
'I have extraordinary admiration and respect for those who dedicate their lives to public service – service to their communities and to our nation,' she said. 'At the same time, we must recognize that our politics, our government and our institutions have too often failed the American people, culminating in this moment of crisis.'
Harris continued: 'As we look ahead, we must be willing to pursue change through new methods and fresh thinking – committed to our same values and principles, but not bound by the same playbook.'
It was a striking acknowledgment from the 2024 Democratic flag-bearer, suggesting a willingness to challenge party orthodoxy that critics says cost Democrats in November.
Before leaving the White House, Harris has been in elected office for more than two decades, breaking racial and gender barriers as she ascended from district attorney in San Francisco to attorney general of California before serving as US senator and then the vice-president of the United States.
Polls suggested Harris would have entered the gubernatorial race with an early lead over many of the lesser-known aspirants who have already declared their candidacies. The field is currently dominated by current and past election officials, including Xavier Becerra, the former attorney general of California, who served with Harris in Biden's cabinet as the secretary of health and human services; Antonio Villaraigosa, the former Democratic mayor of Los Angeles; the state's lieutenant governor, Eleni Kounalakis, who is close friends with Harris; former representative Katie Porter; and the California superintendent of public instruction Tony Thurmond.
Harris's decision throws open the race for California's governorship, a post seen as a critical bulwark against Trump's agenda.
It also leaves open the possibility that Harris could run again for political office. She did not rule out another run for the White House, saying only that 'for now, my leadership – and public service – will not be in elected office'.
Allies say declining to run for governor creates space for Harris to engage in political and policy debates without the constraints of a formal campaign.
She has explored other options, such as starting a non-profit or leading a policy thinktank, according to a person familiar with her thinking.
California congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, one of the Democrats Harris spoke with in recent months as she weighed a run for governor, said the vice-president would likely 'lean hard' into helping Democrats win back seats in next year's congressional midterm elections. Winning back the House is seen as the party's best chance at blunting Trump's agenda and allies say Democrats will be eager to appear alongside Harris on the campaign trail, as they try to reconnect with young voters and communities of color, two blocs the party has struggled to mobilize in recent years.
Kamlager-Dove said Harris was likely to continue working to engage young voters, one of her priorities as vice-president. Days before her announcement, Harris delivered virtual remarks at the Voters of Tomorrow summit, in which she said the US should 'invest' in Gen Z the way the US invested in the so-called 'greatest generation' after the second world war. Calling Gen Z a generation that has 'grown up on the frontlines of so many crises,' she urged them to 'keep challenging the status quo'.
Whatever role Harris takes on next, her decision signals an intent to become a more central figure in the effort to rebuild her fractured party. And in embracing the growing consensus among Democrats that the old playbook is no longer fit for purpose, she may find herself uniquely positioned to help shape the next one.
In one of her conversations with Harris, Kamlager-Dove said the vice-president conveyed that this was a moment to 'color outside of the line'.
'You will have to be a maverick,' she said, recalling Harris's advice to her earlier this year. 'You may have to be unconventional in some of your approaches, because there are forces out there that are working to make us sicker, make us poorer, make us less safe, and we need as many people on the frontlines as possible.'
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