Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ lingering decision about whether to run for governor has other Democrats in the 2026 race steamed, saying the state needs leaders to step up now to protect Californians and combat the destructive policies of President Trump.
The criticism of Harris’ delayed decision, which is expected to come this summer, varies from sharp and direct to oblique and circuitous.
“The challenges facing California are too great for us to wait for a candidate who wants to come in late in the game,” said former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who announced his gubernatorial campaign in July. “California is not a steppingstone to higher office.”
He pointed to the unsuccessful, abbreviated campaign Harris had in the 2024 presidential contest because of then-President Biden’s decision to bow out of the race in the summer, months before the election.
“This will not be a coronation,” he said in an interview this month. “You can’t run at the end of the rainbow. We saw a 100-day campaign. Look what that brought us.”
Former Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine and former U.S. Health and Human Services chief Xavier Becerra, two other top Democrats running for governor, also called out politicians for sitting on the sidelines.
“No one should be waiting to lead. I think we need to make a case right now,” Porter said in a March interview, shortly after she was asked what Harris’ potential entry into the race would mean for her candidacy. “There’s an incredible urgency on the ground that I think stretches across California and across the political spectrum.”
Becerra made a similar point as he announced his candidacy in early April.
“Watching what’s unfolding before our eyes made it clear this is not a time to sit on the sidelines,” Becerra said in an interview.
Polls show that Harris would become the instant front-runner if she decides to jump into the governor’s race. Not only is Harris known nationwide as a former vice president and presidential nominee, but she has a well-established track record of winning statewide races in California.
Harris is expected to make a decision by the end of the summer, according to a source close to the former vice president.
The source pointed to Harris’ experience as San Francisco’s district attorney, the state’s attorney general and U.S. senator before being elected vice president in 2020.
“No one can question her commitment to public service and the people of California and our nation,” this person said. “The vice president’s decisions will always center on how best to serve the people.”
Harris’ success in the state, her name recognition and her national donor base are among the reasons many expected her to easily clear the field if she enters the governor’s race.
“Her looming as a possible gubernatorial candidate has a very definite chilling effect on everyone else’s fundraising ability,” said veteran Democratic strategist Darry Sragow. “Virtually all donors use any excuse they can to not write a check. … That would be compounded by the fact of the looming uncertain presence here is a very significant political player, presumably the most senior political player in the Democratic field.”
But other California Democratic strategists note that donors’ patience could eventually wear thin at a time when the party is brimming with angst about the large checks they wrote in the 2024 election as well as the policy decisions coming out of the Trump White House.
Tracy Austin, a prominent Los Angeles-based Democratic fundraiser who has ties with several candidates in the race, says there is already mounting frustration in the donor community — not only because of how long Harris is taking to make a decision, but also because of the amount of money they spent on her 2024 presidential campaign as well as broader concerns about the party’s direction.
Fundraising reports aren’t due until July, but candidates are required to report donations over $5,000.
Villaraigosa leads the pack, with about $3.2 million from donors such as director Rob Reiner, producer and television personality Ryan Seacrest and former Walt Disney chief Michael Eisner.
Other candidates have entered the race much more recently, and their footprint among donors who write large checks is far smaller. A little more than $215,000 for Republican County Sheriff Chad Bianco; $133,400 for Porter.
The candidates’ strength among small-dollar donors won’t be visible for months.
Republicans are relishing the prospect of Harris entering the race. Bianco blasted out a fundraising appeal with a message line invoking Harris’ name.
“Now, the threat that the Democrat leadership poses to our communities is graver than ever before,” he wrote earlier this month. “That’s because Kamala Harris is positioning herself to run for Governor of California. Today, I’m asking you to help me defeat radical Kamala Harris in the race for California Governor.”
Harris’ potential candidacy was frequently raised during the state GOP convention late last month in Sacramento.
“I personally think it’s beneath her, but I welcome it,” outgoing party chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson told reporters. “I would love to see her on the ballot.”
Since losing the 2024 election to Trump, Harris has made few public appearances — visiting firefighters and volunteers at the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires, watching Broadway plays in New York City and accepting an award from the NAACP.
Harris has been circumspect during her few public appearances since losing the 2024 presidential election. On April 3, she made some of her most pointed remarks since Trump took office during brief remarks before a gathering of Black female business leaders, politicians and other prominent people.
Harris decried the rollback of fundamental rights under the Trump administration and vowed to remain active in the battle to safeguard constitutional protections.
“I’ll see you out there,” she vowed. “I’m not going anywhere.”
