Former Vice President Kamala Harris will not run for governor of California, she announced Wednesday, ending months of speculation after her defeat to Donald Trump in the presidential race last year.
"In recent months, I have given serious thought to asking the people of California for the privilege to serve as their Governor," Harris said in a prepared statement. "I love this state, its people, and its promise. It is my home. But after deep reflection, I’ve decided that I will not run for Governor in this election."
"For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office," she continued. "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."
Harris is looking to preserve her ability to launch a 2028 White House run, should she choose to take that route, two people close to her said. While running for governor wouldn't technically preclude her from entering the presidential fray, the limits a statewide campaign would have imposed on Harris were a consideration.
“This does keep the door open for 2028," one of the people close to her said. The person said Harris came to the decision after months of conversations.
“It was a really tough decision; she really grappled with it. She was very conflicted," the person added. "She wants to have the biggest impact that she could possibly have.”
A person familiar with Harris' thinking said she met with a small team of advisers roughly a month ago in Los Angeles to make the decision.
“Options were: not running for governor, skipping a run to prep for 2028 or ending her work as an elected official. Harris ultimately made the decision on her own,” this person said.
In the near term, Harris is considering nonprofit work and a possible political action committee, another source close to Harris said. She is also poised to campaign for other Democrats in the midterms, one of the sources said.
Harris held statewide office in California for 10 years, first as the state attorney general and then for four years as a U.S. senator, before she resigned to assume the vice presidency after Joe Biden won the 2020 election. She then replaced Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee last year after he dropped out of the race.
A third person close to her who spoke with her Wednesday said Harris looked forward to talking to Californians and people across the country about this moment, but as a private citizen. They insisted that Harris had a path to victory had she run for governor.
“Stay tuned, because she’s going to have other announcements, and they’re not about 2028," that person said.
“She still wants to be part of the national conversation and talk about Donald Trump, and being in debates and forums in California is not going to allow her to do that," the person added.
Harris' decision keeps the race to be California's next governor wide open. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who came up through San Francisco politics alongside Harris, is unable to run for re-election because term limits.
A number of Democrats have jumped into the race to succeed Newsom, including Lt. Gov Eleni Kounalakis; former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary and state Attorney General Xavier Becerra; former Rep. Katie Porter; former state Senate President Toni Atkins; and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, among others.
The party is expected to hold on to the governorship in the heavily Democratic state, which Harris carried by 20 points in the last presidential race.
