The current political math in California goes like this: There are eight candidates running for governor. Only four of them are breaking double digits in polling. And there’s a chance that Democrats could be shut out of the general election entirely in November.
To many Democrats in the reliably liberal state, the calculus seems rather grim. Some can’t help but wonder about a never-was-but-what-if variable: Kamala Harris.
Maybe, they say, she should have run for governor instead of publicly pondering a third run for president.
Sunny Hostin, a co-host of “The View,” recently urged Ms. Harris, the former vice president, to reconsider.
“California, it’s like running a country,” she said on the morning show. “I know that she’s talked about being president — I don’t know if that’s the right position for her — but my goodness, she certainly knows California.”
After Ms. Harris lost her bid for president in 2024, many believed that she would try to become the next governor of California. The state has a tradition of larger-than-life governors — Ronald Reagan, Jerry Brown, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gavin Newsom — who have happily used the statewide office as a megaphone to speak to a worldwide audience.
But after months of speculation, Ms. Harris ruled out the possibility last July.
Instead, she has been roaming the country on a book tour, saying recently that she “might” run for president again in 2028.
It’s enough to give some party loyalists heartburn. The governor’s race, they say, would have been a better bet.
“She would have been good at it, and it would have been a good job for her,” said Matt Bennett, a co-founder of Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank based in Washington. “It would have been good for Democrats everywhere.”
On the other hand, Mr. Bennett said, she would enter the presidential race “with a real burden” of defending the past.
“It’s conceivable that she could craft a message,” he added, “but she’s got a lot of explaining to do.”
The state’s nonpartisan primary has drawn a field that now includes Democrats Xavier Becerra, a former cabinet member in Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s administration; Katie Porter, a former member of Congress; Tom Steyer, a hedge fund billionaire; Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose; Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles; and Tony Thurmond, the state education superintendent. Another Democrat, Representative Eric Swalwell, dropped out of the race amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
There are also two Republicans, Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County; and Steve Hilton, a former Fox News contributor.
The top two vote getters, regardless of party, will advance to the general election.
Leading Democrats in California have avoided publicly criticizing the candidates, even as many privately call the field lackluster. Rusty Hicks, the chairman of the state party, has urged candidates to “honestly assess” whether they should remain in the race.
And while mail-in voting begins Monday for the June 2 primary, liberal activists have sent text messages urging Democratic voters to wait to cast their ballots until there is a clear party front-runner.
A year ago, that front-runner was clearly Ms. Harris; a statewide poll found that 31 percent of voters supported a theoretical Harris campaign, while no other contender exceeded single digits. Most leading Democrats wanted to stay out if she waded in, so her mulling effectively froze the field for months.
Now, there are a few complications. For one thing, the deadline for making the ballot has long since passed. (Last month, a poll circulated through text message asked voters: “What are the chances you would write in Harris for governor” if she launched a campaign? The source of the poll was unclear, and the results were never reported.)
Perhaps more to the point, there is little to indicate Ms. Harris was ever interested in the campaign — or the job.
“It’s pretty obvious she would have dominated the race,” said Lara Bergthold, a longtime political consultant in Hollywood. “It felt like it was an easy win and an easy walk into the governor’s mansion here.”
But, Ms. Bergthold added, “I get the feeling that she wants to play on the national stage.”
A spokeswoman for Ms. Harris did not respond to an interview request.
Not everyone believes a Harris win was a foregone conclusion. Still, without her in the race, the current messy contest for governor has left some voters and activists pining for the clarity of a big-name candidate.
The existing field, said David Axelrod, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to President Barack Obama, is like a “high-stakes NASCAR race where the cars aren’t going very fast, but running each other off the road before one rushes to the front at the end.”
Jennifer Medina is a Los Angeles-based political reporter for The Times, focused on political attitudes and demographic change.
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