Topline
Former Vice President Kamala Harris ruled out a run for California governor or another public office “for now,” she said in a statement Wednesday, adding she will share “more details in the coming months” about her next professional move.
Harris said she has “given serious thought” to a gubernatorial run in California, where she served as a prosecutor in San Francisco, then state attorney general before representing the state in the Senate.
She left open the possibility of a run for elected office in the future, saying it’s not something she’s planning “for now” or “in this election.”
Harris said she will be “helping elect Democrats” and alluded to the need for the party to rebuild after a bruising 2024 election resulted in Republicans taking control of the Senate and the White House, calling for the party to “be willing to pursue change through new methods and fresh thinking.”
Harris made the statement almost a year after she took over for former President Joe Biden as the 2024 Democratic nominee following his historic exit from the race on July 21, 2024.
Democrats have been sidelined by a Republican trifecta in Washington and leadership has spoken openly about the need for a new platform after the 2024 election, when President Donald Trump defied polling predictions to win the popular vote and all seven swing states. Some in the party—most recently Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., for example—have said the party would have benefitted from an open primary to choose a new successor to Biden, rather than immediately coalescing behind Harris. The former vice president has largely stayed out of the political spotlight since losing the race, making her first major public appearance in May in San Francisco.
California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is term-limited and will not run for reelection in 2026. He is widely considered an early prospect for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.
Biden Drops Out Of 2024 Race—Here’s What Happens Next (Forbes)
Harris Accuses Trump Of Wanting ‘Unchecked Power’ As She Delivers Closing Message In Washington (Forbes)