Nearly half of voters in Vice President Kamala Harris’ home state of California say they would be open to supporting her if she decided to run for governor in two years.
Forty-six percent of Golden State registered voters said they would be very likely or somewhat likely to back Harris for governor, according to a poll from the University of California at Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.
Forty-two percent of respondents said they would be very unlikely or somewhat unlikely to support the vice president.
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Vice President Kamala Harris gestures as she delivers a concession speech for the 2024 presidential election on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
The poll, released on Wednesday, was conducted Oct. 22-29, before former President Donald Trump’s sweeping Electoral College and popular vote victory over Harris in the White House race.
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom is term-limited and cannot seek a third term in 2026.
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The race to succeed Newsom in steering the nation’s most populous state is expected to grab plenty of national attention. In a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a roughly two-to-one margin and where no Republican has been elected governor in nearly two decades, the race is expected to draw interest from top politicians.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference where he signed legislation related to oversight of oil and gas wells, and community protections on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Harris, a California resident, served as San Francisco district attorney and state attorney general before winning election in 2016 to the U.S. Senate representing her home state.
The vice president and Democratic Party presidential nominee easily captured California’s 54 electoral votes in last week’s election, and with nearly 87% of the vote counted in her home state, she leads Trump by just over 20 points.
After replacing President Biden on the Democrats’ 2024 ticket in July, Harris was repeatedly criticized by Trump as he blamed the vice president for the crime, high prices and other ailments facing California. Additionally, he repeatedly argued that Harris and her policies had contributed to the ruin of San Francisco.
Trump held a large rally last month in California, which has not voted for a Republican in a presidential election in more than 35 years.
Former President Donald Trump gestures while walking onstage for a campaign rally on Oct. 12, 2024 in Coachella, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Harris, who grew up in the state’s Bay Area, keeps a home in the West Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood with her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff.
There has been plenty of speculation about what Harris will do when she leaves office in two months, but the vice president has not publicly discussed any potential future plans.
Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis of California, a longtime Harris ally, is already running to succeed Newsom. Kounalakis launched her 2026 gubernatorial bid over a year ago.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.
