Kamala Harris is not interested in running for governor of California in 2026, the former vice president announced yesterday. And I’m not surprised at all — in fact, I think the ex veep has her eyes set on a loftier prize: president of the United States.
That’s right, I fully expect Harris will make another run for the White House in 2028.
But right now, she’s playing coy. Multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday that, after returning from a trip abroad, Harris decided to stay out of the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, himself a likely 2028 contender.
“For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office. I look forward to getting back out and listening to the American people, helping elect Democrats across the nation who will fight fearlessly, and sharing more details in the months ahead about my own plans,” she said.
The key phrase there is obviously: “for now.”
Honestly, Harris is making the right call. Why on earth would the former veep want to be a lowly governor? For one thing, being governor of a state requires a lot more work than being vice president, a job that actually has very few requirements per the constitution. Running California, by contrast, means running a state that contains the world’s fourth largest economy, and dealing directly with tech regulation, the impacts of immigration, mass transit issues and housing shortages, crime, forest fires and other issues. Is Harris cut out for that? I’m far from convinced.
But make no mistake: She does want to be president. And Kamala’s perspective is that last time around, in 2024, she was never really allowed to run her race.
Since Joe Biden dropped out at literally the last minute, she didn’t have time to hire and recruit campaign staff who actually believed in her. She didn’t have time to plan and execute a strategy. She didn’t have time convince the American people that she was sufficiently different from Biden — though to be fair, when given the opportunity to distance herself from the unpopular incumbent, she punted. Remember this moment on “The View?”
Points for loyalty, I guess, but the answer crucified her with swing voters. People did not like the Biden administration, and they wanted a change. At no point did Kamala Harris indicate that she was going to give it to them.
But maybe next time will be the charm? If Kamala runs in 2028, it will be her third attempt to make a run at the presidency. Her 2019 campaign never got off the ground, and she dropped out when faced with polling in the California primary that had her likely to come in behind even Andrew Yang. Kamala Harris is not someone who has experienced a tremendous amount of success, on her own, as a national political candidate. Yet Biden chose her as his designated successor, and so she would enter the 2028 race with a certain amount of establishment and elite support, and also name recognition, even though there’s not really some grassroots movement clamoring for her.
We’ve also learned that she is not terrific at long form interviews — which, if 2024 is any indication, could be a dominant means of introducing candidates to the American people by the time the next election rolls around. I have a feeling that the ascendancy of three-hour podcasts is not going to be contested any time soon. A successful presidential candidate is going to need to be able to sit down with Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz and whoever else for hours and make a favorable impression.
Love him or hate him, Gavin Newsom has proven he can do that. Pete Buttigieg has proven he can do it. Has Kamala Harris demonstrated this skill? I’m not so sure.
Nevertheless, another failed Democratic presidential candidate is wishing Kamala well. Reacting to the news, Hillary Cliton wrote on X: “From prosecutor to senator to vice president, Kamala Harris has always been for the people. I know her next chapter will be no different, whatever shape it takes.”
Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.
