Fresh off a loss in the presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris would be welcomed with open arms by California voters if she decided to return home and run for governor in 2026.
A new poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found strong support for Harris in a potential run to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom in two years.
The big picture: The poll found that 33% of respondents would be very likely to support Harris as a gubernatorial candidate.
- Another 13% of respondents answered that they would be somewhat likely to support Harris in 2026.
Go deeper: The poll’s questions about Harris were separate from its survey on other candidates and potential candidates.
- With nine Democrats and four Republicans who have either launched campaigns for governor or are rumored to be interested, 52% of voters do not have a preference two years out of the election.
- Rep. Katie Porter (D–Irvine), who lost in a bid for the Senate, leads all candidates in the poll at 13%.
- Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is at 12%, followed by Sen. Brian Dahle (R–Bieber).
- Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, the first person to enter the race, came in at 7% and is tied with former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
- Former Fox News host Steve Hilton followed at 6%.
What they’re saying: “At this early stage it is not surprising that there is no early frontrunner among voters in the 2026 Governor’s race,” said IGS co-director Eric Schickler. “If Vice President Harris were to run, she would have an important advantage as she is by far the best known of the potential candidates. But for now, this is shaping up to be a wide-open race, with several Democrats likely to battle it out for the attention of Democratic voters.”
