It’s unclear what Vice President Kamala Harris will do after losing the presidential election, but should she run for California governor, support among state residents is seemingly strong, new polling suggests.
In a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by The Los Angeles Times, nearly half of the state’s voters would be very or somewhat likely to support a Harris bid for governor.
“While Harris was not included among the potential candidates in the poll’s preference measures, when asked separately whether they would consider supporting her as a gubernatorial candidate, one in three voters (33%) say they would be very likely to do so, and another 13% would be somewhat likely,” director Mark DiCamillo said in a statement Wednesday.
The 2026 governor race is already crowded, with several well-known candidates already setting their eyes on the state’s top office. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, former state Controller Betty Yee, former Los Angeles Mayor and Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond have all entered the 2026 race.
The race will be California’s first open gubernatorial race in eight years.
The current state governor, Gavin Newsom, was elected in 2018 and is currently completing his second term. Due to term limits, he’s unable to run again.
Harris hasn’t announced any plans to join the governor race.
The vice president won California in her bid for president on Nov. 5, and with 84% of votes estimated to be counted, the Associated Press Wednesday estimates she won with 58.8% of the ballots cast. Final numbers will be certified on Dec. 13, and totals are subject to change as votes continue to be tallied.
