CNN
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Kamala Harris’ aides and aides are divided over whether she should return to her home state to run for California governor in 2026, and it all comes down to a heated primary expected in 2028. It all depends on whether she believes she can win the Democratic nomination for president.
Her reputation has rapidly improved, and some believe that another run should be hers, as she raised more than $1 billion in an astonishing 100 days of racing. Others believe that as the campaign drags on, Ms. Harris will be more likely to win against first Joe Biden and then some of the other major Democratic candidates who have already sat out in 2024 in her honor. He fears he will lose ground and suffer the humiliation of being rejected by Biden after losing to Donald Trump. her own party.
Meanwhile, the gubernatorial race appears to be a layup. Harris has been elected statewide three times and served as attorney general and state senator for a combined 10 years, but in response to questions from CNN, several of the leading candidates, either directly or through aides, said: If she comes in, she’ll probably step aside.
In CNN’s conversations with more than a dozen current and former Harris advisers and leading California Democrats, the only consensus on the vice president is that he probably can’t do both. Ta. This is because in order to do so, it is essentially necessary to start a presidential campaign immediately after taking office. As a governor.
Harris’ senior advisers believe she needs to make her intentions clear by the summer of 2025 at the latest to enter the gubernatorial race. That means Harris will have to decide whether to give up on her dream of becoming president soon after Trump’s inauguration. She feels a little removed from where she is this year, and will instead take a job that will clearly set her back even though she is one of the most powerful people in American politics.
A person who has advised Harris in the past said she needs to think of her gubernatorial run as “a culmination rather than a stepping stone.” “If you’re thinking about running for president in 2028, the worst thing you can do is run for governor in 2026.”
Another person close to Harris told CNN that the gamble of forgoing the gubernatorial race was worth the potential payoff.
The official said, “Running for governor is a step down, and it will hinder his ability to run for president again.” “I don’t know if she’ll run for president again, but the chance to run for president again is worth giving up on running for governor.”
Multiple sources who have spoken directly to the vice president told CNN that the vice president himself has not yet made a decision and is currently making statements such as “We haven’t seen the end of me yet” and “I am.” He says he doesn’t know how to deal with his emotions, which is a common cliché. “We cannot go into the night quietly,” he repeated to supporters who asked him what he would do next.
More than one person noticed that she didn’t stop the conversation when the topic of running for governor came up.
Ms. Harris, meanwhile, has kept a markedly low profile, attending only a handful of public events since her concession speech, while her thank-you calls with donors and other supporters have often been long and tearful on both sides. It is said that People who are familiar with telephones. She hosted a large group of office and campaign staff for a holiday party at the Naval Observatory last Wednesday, and hosted a small black-tie dinner for close friends and supporters on Friday night.
On Tuesday, Harris is scheduled to speak to high school students, college students, graduates and interns in a Washington, D.C., suburb. White House officials said in the announcement that this would be a “continuation” of her “broader, forward-looking leadership,” but multiple sources said the remarks were a hint at her own plans. Rather, it will be a more general message about their involvement. Anyone who has seen the draft.
Ms. Harris and those most devoted to her have so far given her the opportunity to preside over the certification of her Electoral College victory on the fourth anniversary of Mr. Trump’s and her supporters’ insurrection. I don’t want her to put an end to her last major official act. Congress is trying to block certification of Biden and herself.
Some people point out that option C is also available. That means ending her involvement in politics, getting a book deal, and running some kind of organization that she can stay involved in without having to go back into action.
But in the weeks after the election, as questions swirled about the possibility that Harris’ presidential campaign still owed money, one of the options those closest to her decisively ruled out was , to sell email and contact lists compiled by the campaign. Most Valuable List in Democratic Politics. That will be needed when deciding what kind of campaign to run next, they said. And those same people are one of the reasons why campaigns continue to send out fundraising emails, which are major donors and supporters who ultimately end up subscribing. I’m worried that I might end up canceling the program or make her feel bad about it.
Historical parallels and historical rebellions
The only party candidate to win the White House on his second try was fellow California senator-turned-vice president Richard Nixon, who first ran for governor and tried to pull out. (and lost) — at the highest levels of California politics, where this historical parallel remains in people’s minds.
Again, Trump is the only president since Grover Cleveland more than 100 years ago to return to office after defeat.
If she runs for president again, Harris will have to hope for the kind of buyer’s remorse that for now exists only in Democratic Party fantasies — and if it ever comes to fruition. But one must hope that it will not harden into resentment towards her for losing the election that brought him victory. Possibility of comeback. And she will have to win over a wide range of party leaders, who temporarily put aside their doubts about her after Biden resigned but are now privately cold to the idea of running again.
Of course, being governor of California, running the world’s fifth-largest economy and America’s long-standing institute for progressive capitalist politics, is a job of great power and prominence in its own right. That was enough to lure Arnold Schwarzenegger out of the movie and make Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown presidential candidates.
Advisers said Harris could become governor, giving her more time to build on her record by aiming to run in 2032 or 2036 rather than 2028. No one knows what will happen to the country and politics during that time. They also acknowledged it would be the first setback in a decade.
There’s also the Gavin Newsom factor. The two have long been at odds in California politics, but in 2016 she jumped into an open Senate race ahead of Newsom, then the state’s lieutenant governor, and the rising star won the first major statewide election. We decided which one to choose for the opening ceremony. Something we were both looking forward to. Meanwhile, Newsom ran for governor in 2018 and won reelection after defeating a recall effort.
Running for governor now would mean taking on the job Newsom has done, but perhaps while watching him make his own expected presidential bid.
On that afternoon and evening in July after Biden dropped out, several other potential candidates were in touch with each other while Harris was making calls from Navy Watch to marshal supporters. . Even if there was no long-term desire to oust her, was there scope to launch a campaign just for the nomination? They decided they couldn’t credibly challenge Ms. Harris and waited several hours or even the next morning to announce their support, according to people familiar with some of the conversations.
People working with several candidates say they likely won’t give Harris the same respect if she runs again in 2028.
Some of Ms. Harris’ advisers are concerned that intense competition may not be her only problem.
Even though much of the blame for her loss to Biden lies with economic factors outside of her control, looking at her worse-than-expected results among young and black voters, they find them of great concern. I’m finding the cause. Also, her empowerment of a handful of senior aides, who have been criticized both internally and externally for how they led her in the fall, shows bad decision-making, and in a few years Some say it could cause more problems in a presidential campaign that will last two or three years. A few months.
But several advisers argued that all the complaints and infighting pale in comparison to the support and connections Ms. Harris has quickly built across the country.
“Democrats typically purge losing candidates, but she may actually have a strong second-act chance because she fared well relative to skeptics’ estimates before July.” said a former senior adviser. “She finished the race much more popular than when she started.”
While Harris will undoubtedly receive more respect in the gubernatorial race, some campaign officials are already privately pointing out that she narrowly won her first race for attorney general in 2010 and that she has They point to poor results in internal opinion polls as signs that she could do so. Weaker than expected. Some other gubernatorial candidate officials have already planted the term “consolation prize” in an attempt to discuss her possible entry into the gubernatorial race, arguing that California voters will see it that way. There are some too.
Those who want Harris to run for governor say that if she wins, she will not only be associated with a presidential bid, but also have a clear path to joining the race. He said it would be necessary to clarify the basis. Anti-Trump.
Outgoing U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, who lost her bid for the Senate this year and whose polls have shown her leading in the gubernatorial race, talked about Harris joining the party during a panel discussion at the University of California, Irvine in early December. predicted. That would have a “near community-wiping effect,” and California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, who has already begun campaigning for governor, hinted at something similar in an interview with CNN.
“I’m a longtime friend and supporter of the vice president, and if she decides to run for governor, I’ll definitely be the first person we talk to,” Kounalakis said.
California political insiders have already begun speculating about the ramifications of Harris’ entry into the race, wondering which candidates will move to which statewide races to make way for Harris.
A person close to Antonio Villaraigosa has great respect for Ms. Harris and her track record, pointing to the former Los Angeles mayor’s strength in early polling and fundraising, but his focus is on future candidates. He said that it was an election campaign, not a political party.
Former California Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
And Rick Caruso, the billionaire developer who became a Democrat to lose the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral race, took advantage of California’s “top two” system rather than the party’s primary. , there is a possibility that he will be able to finance his one-year campaign with Harris with his own funds. From the center.
But some California Democrats are ready to return home.
“Kamala Harris has deep respect and love for California and has substantial experience across the state in solving California’s problems, including high rent and housing costs, homelessness, and crime.” said California Congressman Ro Khanna. “If she chooses to run, she will be tough.”
