In what must surely rank as a triumph of hope over experience, former Vice President Kamala Harris leads the Democratic field of contenders for governor of California if she entered the Golden State’s 2026 race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), polling shows.

The Hill reports the failed 2024 White House contender snagged support for a hypothetical gubernatorial bid from nearly six in ten Democratic primary voters in California, 57 percent, according to a survey from Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics/The Hill.

Former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), who left the House to mount an unsuccessful Senate bid last year, came next in the hypothetical field at nine percent support.

Ex-speaker of the California State Assembly Antonio Villaraigosa and sitting Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalaki (D) garnered four percent each while another 17 percent were undecided.

The Hill reports Harris on Friday shrugged off questions about a possible gubernatorial bid so soon after her presidential run, saying:

I have been home for two weeks and three days. My plans are to be in touch with my community, to be in touch with the leaders and figure out what I can do to support them.

I am here and would be here regardless of the office I hold, because it is the right thing to do, which is to show up in your community and thank the folks who are on the ground.

“If Vice President Harris enters the Democratic Primary, she would start as the clear favorite,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. “Without Harris in the race, the primary is wide open.”

The polling was conducted Feb. 10-11 among 1,000 California registered voters, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Among the 469 Democratic primary voters, the credibility interval was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Last modified: February 14, 2025