Former Vice President Kamala Harris is the runaway front-runner in the California governor’s race – but voters are split on whether the failed 2024 Democratic presidential candidate should even enter the fray.
Harris has the support of 31% of Californians who plan to vote in the Golden State’s June 2026 gubernatorial primary election, according to an Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics/The Hill survey released Thursday,
But half of likely voters, 50%, believe that the former vice president, California senator and state attorney general should not run for the governorship.
Harris’s closest competitors are former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), who only mustered 8% support, and Republican Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco, who garnered a 4% backing.
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a recent entrant into the race, received 2% support.
A majority of respondents, 39%, indicated that they were undecided.
Since her crushing defeat in the 2024 presidential election, Harris, 60, has reportedly told allies to keep her political options open.
The former vice president is believed to be seriously considering a run at the California governorship, in a bid to succeed a termed-out Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Harris is expected to make a final decision on her next move by the end of the summer, Politico reported last month.
Voters are split down the line on whether she should enter the race.
Half of likely voters, 50%, say no, while another 50% think that she should, according to the survey of 911 likely voters, conducted between April 12-14.
“How competitive the 2026 gubernatorial primary in California depends on whether or not Harris runs — other candidacies, like Katie Porter’s, are contingent on whether or not the former Vice President enters the race,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement.
“Harris garners 49% of Democrats, while Porter gets 13%,” Kimball added. “Without Harris in the race, Porter’s support among Democrats rises to 21%, which would make her an early frontrunner in a crowded field.”
As for what Newsom should do when his time in the governor’s mansion is up – most voters feel he shouldn’t launch a White House bid.
Only 41% of voters responded that Newsom should run for president in 2028, while 59% believe he shouldn’t.
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