Kamala Harris announces she will not run for governor of California

The Guardian

4 days ago

Kamala Harris, the former vice-president and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, announced on Wednesday that she will not run for governor of California – a highly anticipated decision that leaves the contest to lead the country's largest blue state wide open.
'For now, my leadership – and public service – will not be in elected office,' Harris said in a statement, ending months of speculation about her political future after losing the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump.
'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 added.
Harris, 60, who previously served as California's attorney general and US senator, had been exploring a run for the state's top job since leaving the White House in January. But, she said in the statement, 'after deep reflection, I've decided that I will not run for governor in this election'. The decision does not rule out a future run for public office, including a third bid for the White House, after unsuccessful campaigns in 2020 and 2024.
Among the other possibilities Harris is exploring is starting a non-profit or leading a policy thinktank, said a personal familiar with her thinking. Allies said she would be a sought-after surrogate and fundraiser ahead of the 2026 midterms.
'I think we can expect her to continue to invigorate the younger generation who really vibed off of her energy, her authenticity, and, you know, her willingness to talk about things that you don't normally talk about when you're on the campaign trail,' said the California congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, one of the Democrats Harris spoke with in recent months as she weighed a run for governor.
Harris's looming decision had in effect paralyzed the race to replace Gavin Newsom, the term-limited Democratic governor, with early polling suggesting she was Californians' top choice. The Harris-less race to lead California will now take place in a political landscape dramatically reshaped by her loss to Trump in November, which plunged the party into a period of paralysis and soul-searching.
In the months since, the Democratic base has grown increasingly furious with its old guard, demanding fresh leadership and a more combative approach to what they view as Trump's increasingly authoritarian agenda.
In a nod to the discontent roiling her party, and the country, Harris said: 'We must recognize that our politics, our government, and our institutions have too often failed the American people, culminating in this moment of crisis. 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.'
While the decision was disappointing to supporters eager to see Harris square off again with Trump during the final years of his term, Harris had given few signals that she was deeply excited by the prospect of leading the state from the governor's perch in Sacramento. The months-long slog to next year's contest would have forced Harris to grapple with her role in Democrats' losses in November, which has already drawn criticism from corners of the party eager for leaders to step aside and make space for a new generation of candidates.
The crowded field of Democrats running for governor in California is so far made up of long-serving or well-known political leaders, 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; and the former representative Katie Porter.
The most prominent Republicans in the race are Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside county, and Steve Hilton, the former Fox host and former adviser to then UK prime minister David Cameron. Ric Grenell, a longtime Trump ally, has also toyed with the idea of running.
In a statement, Villaraigosa commended Harris's leadership and said that her decision 'reflects her continued commitment to serving at the highest levels of government'.
Becerra described Harris's decision as an 'important turning point for her and our state' that would reshape the 'race for governor, but not the stakes'.
'California needs a governor who will treat the cost of living crisis like the emergency it is, and who will stand up to the chaos and corruption of the Trump White House,' he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Newsom, who came up in San Francisco politics with Harris, also praised the former vice-president. 'Kamala Harris has courageously served our state and country for her entire career,' he said.
Sign up to Headlines US
Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning
after newsletter promotion
'Whether it be as a prosecutor, attorney general, senator, or vice-president she has always kept a simple pledge at the heart of every decision she's made: For the People. Grateful for her service and friendship – and looking forward to continuing the fight in whatever the future might hold for her.'
Republicans – some of whom had been eager to elevate Harris as the face of the Democratic party – nevertheless touted her decision as a political victory for the president.
'Kamala Harris's political career is over thanks to President Trump,' said Kollin Crompton, a spokesperson for the Republican Governors Association, adding, perhaps prematurely: 'Americans across the country can sigh in relief that they won't have to see or hear from Kamala Harris any longer.'
Harris had maintained a relatively low profile since she returned home to Los Angeles, offering few clues about her political future. She remained mostly out of view as protests erupted in response to the Trump administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles earlier this summer. In a statement issued after Trump ordered national guard troops deployed Los Angeles, she said that protest was 'a powerful tool' and said she supported the 'millions of Americans who are standing up to protect our most fundamental rights and freedoms'.
She has been selective about when to weigh in against the Trump administration's actions. Earlier this year, Harris delivered a sharp speech in which she warned that the US was witnessing a 'wholesale abandonment of America's highest ideals' by the US president.
On Wednesday, Harris vowed to remain politically engaged.
'We, the People must use our power to fight for freedom, opportunity, fairness, and the dignity of all,' she said. 'I will remain in that fight.'
Dani Anguiano contributed to this report