Harris rules out run for California governor

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 30: Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a keynote address during the Emerge 20th Anniversary Gala at the Palace Hotel on April 30, 2025 in San Francisco, California. Kamala Harris delivered her first public speech since leaving office in January.

This is the 'clearest sign yet' that Harris may 'still be considering a third run for president'

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

published 31 July 2025

What happened

Former Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday she will not enter the 2026 race to become California's next governor. The announcement ended months of speculation about the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee's plans for the contest while reigniting questions about her political future. "I love this state, its people and its promise," Harris said in a statement, but "for now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office."

Who said what

Harris would have "begun the race" to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) as an "imposing frontrunner," Politico said, and her announcement "upends" what had been a "largely static" contest. This is the "clearest sign yet" that Harris may "still be considering a third run for president," said the Los Angeles Times.

Harris had been "exploring a run for the state's top office" since returning to Los Angeles in January but "had done little to express enthusiasm for the job," The New York Times said. And she only "weighed in selectively" as President Donald Trump's immigration raids and military deployments ushered in a "summer of political turmoil in California."

What next?

Harris is now "exploring the prospects of forming new groups" designed to "keep her involved in politics and positioned to advocate for the ideas she championed during her 2024 campaign," according to The Washington Post.

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Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.