Kamala Harris says she is not running for California governor

After months of speculation about her political future, former Vice President and San Francisco Bay Area native Kamala Harris has ruled out one option: governor of California.

Harris said Wednesday that she will not enter the 2026 race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is serving his second term and cannot run again. Harris did not say what she plans to do next, but her choice is the clearest sign yet that she may still be considering a third run for president.

“I love this state, its people, and its promise. It is my home. But after deep reflection, I’ve decided that I will not run for governor in this election,” Harris said in a statement. “For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office. 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.”

Since her loss to President Trump in November, Harris, 60, has spent most of this year out of the public eye, settling back into life in Brentwood and speaking with confidantes about her options: run for president for a third time in 2028, launch a gubernatorial campaign or end a two-decade career in elected office and enter the private sector.

She has largely eschewed the limelight, occasionally critiquing Trump’s actions but hardly positioning herself as a face of the resistance. In recent months, she has greeted graduating high school seniors in Compton, made a surprise appearance at the Met Gala in New York City and attended Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ daughter’s wedding in the English countryside over the weekend. She has also reportedly written a memoir and is considering starting a nonprofit focused on young voters and democracy or a political action committee to help Democrats.

Serving as the governor of California, a bulwark in the anti-Trump movement, would have given Harris another shot at her political rival and an opportunity to rewrite the end of her political story after a barrier-breaking career.

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Harris was the first woman to be elected district attorney of San Francisco, the first woman to be elected California attorney general, the first woman of color to be elected to the U.S. Senate from California and the first woman elected vice president of the United States.

Harris would have entered the race with significant advantages, including name recognition and a vast national network of donors. But she would also have run with an unusual amount of baggage for a gubernatorial candidate, including her loss to Trump, which dampened enthusiasm for her candidacy among some party loyalists and fundraisers.

Harris said she admires and respects public servants but there needs to be recognition 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,” the former vice president said in her written statement.

Veteran Democratic strategist Sean Clegg, a longtime advisor to Harris, said the former vice president ultimately decided that her next chapter would be focused on political pursuits outside of elected office.

“I think she listened to her gut. … Obviously she saw a huge opportunity, so she had to consider it, but at the end of the day she just didn’t feel called,” said Clegg, who has worked on Harris’ campaigns since 2008. “Until January of this year … she’s been in public office continuously for 22 years and has spent her entire career since she graduated law school in public service. I think she’s been interested in exploring how she can have an impact from the outside for a while.”

Former Sen. Laphonza Butler, a longtime friend of Harris’ who was appointed to fill the remainder of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s term, cautioned against assuming that Harris’ decision not to seek the governorship meant she planned to run for president again in 2028.

“I don’t think that we should jump to any conclusions,” Butler said, echoing Harris’ words about pursuing public service outside of elected office.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) said he knew it was a “difficult decision” for Harris. But he said he was hopeful Harris would be a key player in next year’s midterm elections.

“I think she feels at this moment she needs to help Democrats win back Congress and help Democrats across the country. She feels a real responsibility about where the country is headed,” said Garcia, who has known Harris for more than a decade. She swore him in when he was first elected mayor of Long Beach in 2014 before he became a member of Congress.

Harris’ decision to stay out of the governor’s race could reenergize the field as major donors and possible candidates come off the sidelines. Hours after Harris made her decision public, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her support of Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis in the gubernatorial race.

“Kamala Harris’s decision is a strategic retreat for a candidate still reeling from a billion-dollar presidential loss,” said Luis Vizcaino, who previously served as a spokesperson for Harris and two Democrats who want to fill Newsom’s seat, Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles, and Katie Porter, a former congresswoman from Orange County. “She’s the walking wounded, and this move clearly signals her need to reestablish her brand. It’s a massive relief for Democratic party leaders and donors across California who, despite their loyalty, have lost confidence in her.”

Although candidates still have months to file their paperwork before the June 2 primary, Harris faced pressure to make a decision sooner as a courtesy to the candidates already in the race.

Her bowing out is “absolutely a sigh of relief for candidates who had been raising money and trying to build a profile and getting ready for this gubernatorial contest,” said Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data Inc., a voter data firm that works with Democrats and nonpartisan campaigns.

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Without Harris, the field of candidates for the governor’s mansion will still lack a candidate with real star power. Though the list of Democrats running reads like a who’s-who of political power in the Golden State, none are household names.

In addition to Villaraigosa and Porter, the gubernatorial hopefuls include Toni Atkins, a former Assembly speaker and Senate president pro tem; Xavier Becerra, former California attorney general and Biden Cabinet secretary; Stephen Cloobeck, a philanthropist and businessman; Kounalakis, the state’s lieutenant governor; Tony Thurmond, the superintendent of public instruction; and Betty Yee, the former state controller.

Limited public polling has shown that without Harris in the field, Porter has an edge over her Democratic rivals, but many voters are undecided.

Democratic gubernatorial candidates who weighed in on Harris’ decision showered her with praise.

Porter called Harris a “focused leader” and recalled the work they did together during the housing crisis. (She also promptly sent a fundraising email to supporters noting that Harris decided not to run.) Kounalakis called her a “trailblazer, a fearless fighter for justice, and a dear friend.”

Becerra pointed to their service together in Biden’s cabinet and noted that he succeeded Harris as California’s attorney general. “She has always put working families first,” he said. Villaraigosa said he knew the former vice president “will continue to be a powerful voice for justice, equality, and opportunity.”

A critical question is whether Harris weighs in on the race, which includes many politicians with whom she has had long relationships. A source familiar with Harris’ thinking said she is still considering whether and how to approach the governor’s race, as well as other California contests. Harris has already received endorsement requests from federal and local officials, said this person, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly.

There are two well-known Republicans in the race: Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who has said he would have “welcomed” the chance to run against Harris; and conservative commentator Steve Hilton, who called Harris’ decision “great news” because “the last thing this state needs is another useless machine politician making things even worse.”

One outcome is certain, said Lorena Gonzalez, head of the powerful California Labor Federation.

Between a newly competitive 2026 gubernatorial race and a potential special election in November about redrawing the state’s congressional districts to boost Democratic numbers in Congress, “we’re looking at basically a year and a couple months of political mayhem,” she said.