Recent polling shows former Vice President Kamal Harris is leading the pack of Democratic hopefuls for the 2026 California governorship, Breitbart reported. Speculation has begun about a suitable replacement for Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited.
Harris crashed and burned in the 2024 presidential election with her spectacular loss to President Donald Trump. In a stunning development, Democrats are rallying behind her to be the executive of the Golden State.
A recent poll from Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics/The Hill indicates that Harris is far and away the leading candidate for the Democratic side. The failed presidential candidate garnered a whopping 57% support from the voters.
New Emerson poll on California governor's race finds Kamala Harris with majority support, and it's not even close. pic.twitter.com/GzuYr4QTUo
— bryan metzger (@metzgov) February 13, 2025
It's a long road to the governor's mansion, but Harris has so far taken the top spot in the hypothetical matchup. Harris' next closest contender is former Rep. Katie Porter, with 9%.
The California Democrat is also a political loser as she left her seat in the House to run for Senate and came up empty-handed. More troublingly, Porter was also accused of abusing staff and making racist remarks, which she has denied, Politico reported in 2023.
Next in the survey, tied at 4% each, were current Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalaki and former California State Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa. After others who received 3% or less, the next largest return was undecided, with 17%.
It's unclear whether Democrats are worried that their top contenders are proven political failures. However, Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball believes the outcome of the primary will largely depend on whether Harris is willing to run.
"If Vice President Harris enters the Democratic Primary, she would start as the clear favorite. Without Harris in the race, the primary is wide open," Kimball said.
The survey, taken between February 10 and 11 among 1,000 registered voters in California, is promising if Harris has any future political ambitions. So far, she has yet to commit to anything after losing to Trump.
"I have been home for two weeks and three days. My plans are to be in touch with my community, to be in touch with the leaders and figure out what I can do to support them," Harris said when asked about the possibility.
"I am here and would be here regardless of the office I hold, because it is the right thing to do, which is to show up in your community and thank the folks who are on the ground," Harris added. Meanwhile, Republicans are champing at the bit for a chance to defeat Harris again.
Richard Grenell, Trump's acting director of national intelligence, said he'd consider throwing his name in for the GOP side if Harris runs. "If Kamala Harris runs for governor — I believe that she has such baggage and hundreds of millions of dollars in educating the voters of how terrible she is — that it’s a new day in California, and that the Republican actually has a shot," Grenell said according to The Hill.
