As Vice President Kamala Harris licks her wounds from a historic defeat final week, a brand new ballot says virtually half of Californians would take into account electing her governor in 2026 if she ran.
Every week after the 2024 basic election wrapped up, greater than half of voters haven’t made up their minds in regards to the probably candidates for 2026 but, UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Research ballot discovered. The race is at a really early stage, mentioned Eric Schickler, co-director of the institute.
“If Vice President Harris were to run, she would have an important advantage as she is by far the best known of the potential candidates,” Schickler mentioned in an announcement. “But for now, this is shaping up to be a wide-open race, with several Democrats likely to battle it out for the attention of Democratic voters.”
Within the survey, 13% ranked Porter, who misplaced a bid for U.S. Senate within the March major election to fellow Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican former baseball star Steve Garvey, as their first or second alternative for governor. Bianco adopted at 12%, and Dahle at 11%.
Individually, pollsters requested probably voters if they might take into account supporting Harris if the outgoing Vice President jumped into the gubernatorial race. One-third mentioned they might be very prone to vote for Harris, and 13% could be considerably prone to, the ballot discovered.
Harris hasn’t mentioned if she’ll run, and her aides say it’s too quickly to invest about her profession choices after her crushing defeat to former President Donald Trump.
“While it would be politically dicey to step back from vice president to running for governor, Vice President Harris would be a giant in this race,” mentioned David McCuan, professor of political science at Sonoma State College.
Even when Harris didn’t run, she might wield affect as a “kingmaker or queenmaker” by backing and fundraising for one of many candidates, McCuan added.
9 Democrats and 4 Republicans have introduced plans to run for governor or are seen as potential candidates by political insiders. The Democrats additionally embrace Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Legal professional Basic Rob Bonta. The opposite Republicans are Lanhee Chen, a coverage advisor and educational, and Steve Hilton, a political strategist who co-founded a assume tank with Chen.
McCuan mentioned the race is “wide open” up to now, with a lot of alternative for candidates as they jockey for identify recognition and help over the following two years.
“The paint has not even dried on 2024, and 2026 matters in a huge way in California, and has a ripple effect across the country,” McCuan mentioned.
