{"id":48606,"date":"2025-07-30T22:45:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T22:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/48606\/"},"modified":"2025-07-30T22:45:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T22:45:07","slug":"kamala-harris-will-not-run-for-california-governor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/48606\/","title":{"rendered":"Kamala Harris will not run for California governor"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 Former Vice President Kamala Harris<\/a> will not run for California governor next year, leaving open the possibility that she could mount a third run for the White House in 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past six months, I have spent time reflecting on this moment in our nation\u2019s history and the best way for me to continue fighting for the American people and advancing the values and ideals I hold dear,\u201d Harris said in a statement released by her office Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have given serious thought to asking the people of California for the privilege to serve as their governor. I love this state, its people and its promise. It is my home. But after deep reflection, I\u2019ve decided that I will not run for Governor in this election,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Harris\u2019 decision extends a guessing game<\/a> about her political future that started after she lost last year\u2019s presidential election to Donald Trump. Harris spent months privately considering whether to run for governor, stage another run for the White House or step away from electoral politics altogether after her bruising defeat by Trump.<\/p>\n

She has not ruled out another run for president, after unsuccessful bids in 2020 and 2024. It\u2019s not known when she will make that decision. <\/p>\n

Harris didn\u2019t mention Trump directly in her statement, but said \u201cour politics, our government, and our institutions have too often failed the American people, culminating in this moment of crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remaining in the fight<\/p>\n

\u201cFor now, my leadership \u2014 and public service \u2014 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,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the United States of America, power must lie with the people. And We, the People must use our power to fight for freedom, opportunity, fairness and the dignity of all. I will remain in that fight,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

Harris would have entered the crowded contest to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom as a front-runner given her widespread name recognition, fundraising prowess and track record of winning statewide elections. Before serving as U.S. senator and vice president, she was elected state attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco. <\/p>\n

But after years in Washington on the national and international stage, it was never clear if Harris was interested in returning to the less-glamorous world of statehouse politics in Sacramento. <\/p>\n

Young voters<\/p>\n

Democratic strategist Sean Clegg, a longtime Harris adviser, said the former vice president was tempted to make a gubernatorial run but decided to explore other options. Among the possibilities she has considered: starting a nonprofit to engage younger voters. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s been in elective office for 22 straight years, she\u2019s been in public service since she got out of law school,\u201d Clegg said. \u201cHaving spent her entire life inside the system, she\u2019s more motivated, more excited by the opportunity to make change outside of the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer decision, at the end of the day, it was just a gut decision,\u201d Clegg added. \u201cShe asked herself, \u2018Do I want to go back into the system as the top elected official in California, or do I want to try to do something completely different?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Another White House run?<\/p>\n

Outside California, Harris\u2019 political career has been marked by historic firsts but also disappointments. <\/p>\n

Harris sought the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, but dropped out of the race before the leadoff Iowa caucuses \u2014 the first defeat of her political career. After Joe Biden chose her as his running mate, she made history as the first woman, Black person or person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president. In 2024, Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee after Biden left the race months before Election Day and endorsed her. She lost that race to Trump, who won every swing state. <\/p>\n

Harris faces some uncertainty if she chooses to make another White House run. <\/p>\n

Harris would have to convince national Democrats that she\u2019s the face of the party\u2019s future, despite losing<\/a> to Trump last fall. She also carries the baggage of being tied to Biden, whom Democrats have increasingly criticized for seeking a second term rather than stepping aside. Biden\u2019s legacy was tarnished<\/a> as he left office, and since then new questions have swirled about his physical and mental abilities as his term ended.<\/p>\n

The 2028 presidential contest is expected to attract a large field, which could potentially include Newsom. Any candidate will have to unify a fractious Democratic Party with low approval ratings<\/a> that is struggling to slow Trump\u2019s agenda in Washington.<\/p>\n

In her most extensive public remarks since leaving office in January, Harris said in a San Francisco speech that Trump\u2019s leadership represented a \u201c wholesale abandonment<\/a> \u201d of American ideals. <\/p>\n

Harris\u2019 decision not to seek the governorship keeps the contest to replace Newsom wide open. The Democratic field includes former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Biden administration health secretary Xavier Becerra and a handful of state officeholders. <\/p>\n

In a statement, Villaraigosa speculated that Harris\u2019 political career was not over. Her decision, he said, \u201creflects her continued commitment to serving at the highest levels of government.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 Former Vice President Kamala Harris will not run for California governor next year, leaving…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48607,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[7929,8651,23,37811,3135,2356,3137,12,1070,2013,793,3138,3319,5744,37813,3031,3,2425,5284,37814,8638,795,21,19,22,20,25,24,37812],"class_list":["post-48606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-2020-united-states-presidential-election","tag-2024-united-states-presidential-election","tag-america","tag-antonio-villaraigosa","tag-ca-state-wire","tag-california","tag-california-state-government","tag-donald-trump","tag-elections","tag-gavin-newsom","tag-general-news","tag-government-and-politics","tag-joe-biden","tag-kamala-harris","tag-katie-porter","tag-los-angeles","tag-news","tag-political-news","tag-san-francisco","tag-sean-clegg","tag-u-s-democratic-party","tag-u-s-news","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa","tag-xavier-becerra"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}