As Vice President Kamala Harris wraps up her term in office and contemplates her next moves after Donald Trump‘s success in the 2024 presidential election, many people speculate about what’s next for her. An interesting possibility is that Harris will return to her home state to run for California’s top job.
Support for Harris remains strong in California
Talk of Harris running for governor of California comes as a new poll conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, shows that nearly half of Californians would support this move. According to the survey, 33% of likely voters in California said they would “very likely” support Harris for governor, with another 13% saying they are “somewhat likely” to back a Harris for governor campaign. That 46% exceeds the 42% who say they would not likely support Harris for governor; 12% said they are unsure. The poll unsurprisingly shows Harris’s support coming primarily from Democrats: 78% of Democrats, 38% of independents and 8% of Republicans in California reported that they would “very likely” or “somewhat likely” support Harris for governor. Combined with her recent performance in the presidential election, in which Harris carried California with nearly 60% of the popular vote, the vice president looks like a strong potential candidate.
Jumping into a crowded race
If Harris decides to enter the governor’s race, something she has not discussed publicly, she would jump into a crowded field to replace current Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will leave office in 2026 due to the state’s term limit. Among the Democrats already in the race are Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, state Sen. Tori Atkins and Antonio Villaraigosa, who previously served as mayor of Los Angeles. Other prominent Democrats said to be considering a run include Rep. Katie Porter, who will leave Congress after an unsuccessful run for the Senate, and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. California currently has twice as many Democrats as Republicans registered to vote, giving Democrats a seeming advantage over Republicans like state Sen. Brian Dahle and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who are also considering running.
History of political success in California
Though she would have to push through many challengers to win, a return to California as governor would add to the impressive political resume that Harris has developed in the state. Born and raised in Oakland, Harris left California to attend Howard University but returned to earn her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. After law school, she became a prosecutor before being elected district attorney of San Francisco in 2004 and California’s attorney general in 2011. Harris then successfully ran to represent California in the U.S. Senate, which she did until becoming vice president. Having achieved the highest judicial and legislative success in California, becoming the state’s top executive official would be a crowning political achievement for Harris.
For now, the path that Harris will take upon leaving the White House remains unclear. However, whether she returns to politics or enters the private sector, she will leave the vice presidency with an impressive political career. With California’s top job available, we will see whether Harris will add governor to her resume.
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