A significant chunk of California’s voters might just be gluttons for punishment. Even after living under an inept far leftist Gov. Gavin Newsom, it appears they have not learned their lesson.
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Vice President Kamala Harris would be highly favored to win California’s 2026 gubernatorial race if she chose to run, according to a new poll conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. The survey, which was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, found that the vice president holds strong support among California’s voters.
“Nearly all voters in this state have an opinion of her, and that’s really the big advantage that she brings to an early poll,” said poll director Mark DiCamillo.
Almost half of the Golden State’s voters were either “very or somewhat likely” to support Harris if she decided to throw her hat into the ring. Naturally, her support is strongest among Democratic voters, 72 percent of whom said they would likely consider her as a candidate, compared to only eight percent of Republicans and 38 percent of those with no party affiliation.
Harris has not given public comment on her plans after she is no longer vice president. If she were to run, she “would join a field of more than a dozen candidates who have either entered the race to succeed Newsom or are weighing whether to launch a campaign,” the Los Angeles Times noted.
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Harris’ long tenure in California politics, which includes serving as the San Francisco district attorney, state attorney general, and U.S. senator would likely give her an edge against candidates with less name recognition and experience in statewide office.
“Most voters in California do not pay attention to what’s going on in state politics,” DiCamillo told the Los Angeles Times. “That’s why you need huge amounts of campaign resources to make yourself known to them.”
The field of potential gubernatorial contenders includes former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Rep. Katie Porter, state Attorney General Rob Bonta, and several others.
While the odds might be in Harris’ favor if she chose to run, victory would not be a foregone conclusion. While she won 59 percent of California voters in the presidential election, some have expressed reservations about supporting her for governor. A significant chunk of respondents indicated they would not vote for her.
Still, the poll suggests that Californians could be less supportive of Harris running for governor compared with her run for president this year. Forty-six percent of likely voters were somewhat (13%) or very (33%) likely to support her for governor in 2026, the poll found. As of Tuesday, Harris had won 59% of the presidential race votes counted in California.
The poll is the first to gauge how California feels about Harris running for governor. Harris has not said publicly what she plans to do after President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20, and a Harris representative did not respond to a request for comment.
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Still, if the vice president is able to make her case to California voters, or if she does not face any strong opponents, it is possible that she could become the Golden State’s next governor.
