Leaving a run for governor on the table, however, is a riskier proposition.
With Trump unable to run for a third term, Democrats are viewing 2028 as a fresh slate in terms of candidates.
“Running for governor would be a step down, and it would interfere with her ability to run for president again,” one person close to Harris told CNN.
Meanwhile, Harris — the nominee for California governor — looks to be a much safer call in comparison.
A poll conducted shortly after the November election showed that nearly half of California voters would support her as a candidate.
Around 100 days before the general election, President Joe Biden withdrew from the race and nominated his vice president, which catapulted Kamala Harris into the national spotlight.
Harris lost to former President Donald Trump, so the last-minute change didn’t work out for Democrats. The former U.S. S. . California senator who is unsure of her best course in politics.
CNN reported that even the vice president’s team expressed uncertainty about the future more than a month after that election defeat.
According to the outlet’s report on Sunday, the close-knit group near Harris is divided between two options: either run for president again in 2028 or change their goals to run for governor of California in 2026.
There is one consensus in that group, CNN reports — she can’t do both.
If she were elected governor of California in 2026, she would have to run for president a few months or even weeks after taking office. An overly ambitious move like that would probably kill her hypothetical presidential campaign right away due to the bad optics.
However, it is riskier to leave a run for governor open.
Trump’s inability to seek a third term has Democrats looking to 2028 as a new election year. For example, Pennsylvania Gov. Georgia Sens’ Josh Shapiro. Jonathan Ossoff, Sec., and Raphael Warnock. of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and current CA Gov. In what will undoubtedly be a crowded field, Gavin Newsom is one of the names being floated.
Some members of Harris’ team think she would be a formidable contender to win a Democratic primary in 2028 given the ground she gained this year after taking Biden’s place and her record-breaking fundraising. Harris might appear as a return to normalcy to voters who were unhappy with a second Trump administration, particularly if her opponent in the general election was Vice President-elect JD Vance.
One person close to Harris told CNN that she would be unable to run for president again if she ran for governor, which would be a step down. “I don’t know if she’s going to run for president again, but a shot at running for president again is worth giving up running for governor. “”.
However, it is far from certain that she will run a successful campaign in 2028. If Harris were to lose a crowded primary, as she did in 2020, it would be considered a huge missed opportunity to become governor of the most populous state in the nation.
Harris, the California governor’s nominee, appears to be a far safer choice in contrast. According to a survey done soon after the November election, almost 50% of California voters would back her as a candidate.
Some are trying to dissuade Harris from running in the statewide election, calling it a “consolation prize,” while the CNN report suggests that she could have a “crowd-clearing effect” in that Democrat-heavy race. “.”.
Even Harris’ employees aren’t sure what the decision is. But one thing is certain: the race to become the next governor of California is heating up, so a decision must be made soon.
