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Former Vice President Kamala Harris announced Wednesday that she would not run for California governor in 2026, ending her questions about her interest in the position but raises new questions about the future plans for the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate.
“For now, my leadership and public services will not be in the elected office,” she said in a statement released Wednesday. “I look forward to going back and listening to the American people, helping to elect Democrats across the country who will fight fearlessly and share more details on my own plans in the coming months.”
After losing to President Donald Trump, Harris and her team said she will take some time to evaluate her next steps, including considering running for California governor or possibly running for president in 2028.
Harris is shrouded in a major favorite in the potential field of California, which still has several other prominent Democrats, including former Rep. Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. The party loves to serve in a dark blue country.
But Harris also faces suspicion from some family-national Democrats, fearing her failed baggage in the White House movement and potential obstacles to the U.S. House on the battlefield in the state, which could be critical in the medium term.
During the deliberation, Harris contacted the former California governor to ask what she could do at work and asked assistants to conduct research and memorandums to outline other options.
Among these options: Establishing 501(c)(4) organizations focus on the information ecosystem and how to empower young voters, while rethinking the key to democracy in institutions, establishing a political action committee, raising funds for other candidates, and listening to Southern states with a 2028 presidential bid.
Harris wants to make a decision about running before announcing his expected fall book journey. The announcement is about to be released.
According to someone familiar with the one she deliberated, her idea was that if she didn't run for governor, she would have time to do all of this.
“I have a lot of admiration and respect for those who have devoted themselves to public service – serving their communities and our country,” she said in a statement Wednesday. “At the same time, we must recognize that our politics, governments and institutions often fail the American people and ultimately reach their peak in this crisis moment. As we look forward, we must be willing to pursue change through new methods and new thinking – committed to our same values and principles, but not bound by the same script.”
The two people who spoke with Harris stressed that the announcement should not be seen as a clear sign that she will run for president again.
The decision was announced Wednesday after Harris's daughter and long-time donor Laurene Powell Jobs' wedding last week.
She's been talking to people who have been talking to people for weeks, and her impression is that she's away from running. She told someone she talked to and felt she could make the most impact by “from the outside.”
Harris and several close friends worry that she will fall into the grain of the campaign for governor, especially because they think she has to work too hard to prove her goodwill, she doesn't take the game for granted, which will lift her out of the bigger discussion, and she still very much wants to be a part of it.
“To run for governor, you have to be more specific and grainy about the work of the Legislature, which she needs in the national dialogue,” the first person she spoke to told CNN. As for running for president again, “this means she doesn’t have to make a decision now, but she can take the time to lead.”