Former Vice President Kamala Harris is considering running for governor of California in 2026. Republicans in the state are hoping she takes the plunge.
While Republicans would be unlikely to win the race in the deep-blue state, a Harris run could energize donors and boost the party's coffers, Politico reported.
Harris is expected to decide at the end of the summer, though Republicans are already campaigning against her.
"I think it could attract some donors from around the country who might be interested in taking another pound of flesh," Republican political consultant Dave Gilliard told Politico. "Money is the biggest obstacle other than the registration because the donor world doesn't think a Republican can be elected governor anymore."
Potential Republican candidates to oppose Harris include Richard Grenell, who serves as special presidential envoy for special missions and Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco.
While Harris won California with 59% of the vote during her 2024 presidential campaign, she underperformed former President Joe Biden, despite it being her home state. Several counties flipped from Biden to President Donald Trump, Politico said.
"She won two statewide elections, and she won in California when she was running for president," Bianco told Politico. "But those votes didn't go to Kamala Harris. Those votes went against Donald Trump."
Democrats who have entered the race include Rep. Katie Porter, former Health and Humans Secretary Xavier Becerra, and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis. Gov. Gavin Newsom is term limited.
Even though Harris would be a heavy favorite to win, California Republicans compared it to people who were able to raise tons of money running against Nancy Pelosi, speaker emeritus, D-Calif., or former Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., despite having virtually no chance of winning.
Trump could play an outsize influence in the race. He remains deeply unpopular in California with an approval rating of just 30%, according to a poll from the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies.
"For as many gains as I think you're going to have with average citizens who think we can't keep voting for Democrats because the state is being run into the ground, you have as many people who are just enraged by DOGE or enraged by Trump," one California Republican told Politico.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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