Former Vice President Kamala Harris is reportedly weighing a potential run for California governor against a possible third bid for the White House in 2028, according to a Politico report published Friday morning.
Newsweek reached out for comment to Harris’ office via online press contact form on Friday.
Why It Matters
Harris lost to President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election after rising to the top of the Democratic ticket following former President Joe Biden’s last-minute withdrawal from the race in July.
The political future of the former vice president and the Democratic Party itself, which lost the presidency and the Senate last year, is currently unclear. Harris has not publicly announced her plans since moving back to her California home after the executive branch changed hands on January 20.
What To Know
During a pre-Oscars party in Los Angeles last weekend, Harris said she was planning to make a decision on running in the 2026 California gubernatorial election by “the end of the summer,” according to a Politico report based on two anonymous “people with knowledge of the conversation.”
Harris is also reportedly still “mulling” another run for president, although becoming California governor would “almost certainly” eliminate the possibility. Current California Governor Gavin Newsom, who many suspect is preparing to launch his own 2028 presidential bid, cannot run for reelection due to term limits.
The former vice president would likely become the frontrunner if she decides to enter the race for California governor but might face stiffer competition if she again seeks the Democratic nomination for president, which she also attempted in the 2020 election before becoming Biden’s running mate.
Early polls of potential Democratic 2028 presidential election candidates show Harris with a significant lead, although her advisers have told her in “frank conversations” that they expect a tough race for the Democratic nomination, according to Politico’s report.
Shortly after leaving office in January, Harris established an organization called “Pioneer49″—a reference to her status as the country’s 49th vice president and her Secret Service codename “pioneer.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is pictured onstage during the 56th NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, California, on February 22.
Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET
What People Are Saying
Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, commenting on a poll showing Harris as the frontrunner in a Democratic gubernatorial primary: “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.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking about her plans last month while visiting sites impacted by the Los Angeles-area wildfires: “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…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.”
What Happens Next?
The next scheduled public appearance for Harris is this weekend when she is expected to take the stage at the HumanX AI conference in Las Vegas.
Details about the future of her political career remain uncertain.
Update 3/7/25, 6:09 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
