California Gubernatorial Election 2026

The Upcoming California Gubernatorial Race In 2026

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California, the largest state in population, with 39 million people, will have a new Governor elected in 2026, as two term Governor Gavin Newsom, is term limited, but will certainly be pursuing the Democratic nomination for President in 2028, with many early polls indicating he is the frontrunner at this point.

California has been a reliably Democratic state since the 1990s, so although Republicans will contest the election, the odds are very heavy against any opportunity for success.

There are a multitude of potential candidates in both parties, with the Republicans’ most likely choice seen as probably Steve Hilton, a political commentator for Fox News Channel, and who in the past, worked for the British government.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the losing Presidential nominee in 2024, decided NOT to seek the Governorship, and is still considering a Presidential campaign for 2028.

The Democrats have many potential candidates, but the two that stick out the most are former Congresswoman Katie Porter, former candidate for the US Senate in 2024, and Congressman Eric Swalwell, with Swalwell at this point in the lead in public opinion polls.

But Xavier Becerra, former Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden, and former California Attorney General; and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, cannot be ignored.

The view of this author and blogger is that Eric Swalwell would be the best, most electable Democrat, although before his entrance into the race, Katie Porter was seen as the frontrunner.

Kamala Harris Memoir Burns Bridges, Likely Insures End Of Political Career!

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Former Vice President Kamala Harris, by publishing a memoir with strong statements about many political leaders she has worked with, is likely burning her bridges, making it highly doubtful that she will ever again hold public office.

History records that once a Presidential nominee has lost election to the White House, the odds are extremely high that such individual will never be President.

There are only six cases of a defeated Presidential nominee going on to be elected President–three before the Civil War, once in the Gilded Age, once in the mid 20th century, and finally, Donald Trump.

Two of the cases–Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump– won the Presidency, then lost, and then returned, so unusual and special cases. In the case of Cleveland, he won in 1884, lost in 1888, and won in 1892. Trump won in 2016, lost in 2020, and won in 2024.

The three before the Civil War were Thomas Jefferson, who lost in 1796 and won in 1800; Andrew Jackson, who lost in 1824, and won in 1828; and William Henry Harrison, who lost in 1836 and won in 1840.

Finally, Richard Nixon lost in 1960, but then won in 1968 and 1972.

So the odds of Harris coming back are very low, but additionally, by being critical of Joe and Jill Biden and the Biden Staff, and stating her reasons for not selecting Josh Shapiro or Pete Buttigieg as her Vice Presidential running mate instead of Tim Walz, has caused controversy and a sense of anger by those individuals and others.

And it is generally well known that Kamala Harris was not an easy person to work for, losing staff regularly in the Senate and the Vice Presidency.

One gets the feeling from her appearance on Rachel Maddow, and on “The View”, that she does not seem to have the “fire in the belly” to compete in another strenuous Presidential campaign.

It would have been easier for Harris to have run for California Governor, with assurance of an easy victory, and a major role in the largest state’s impact in reaction to Donald Trump and the Republican Party, just like Gavin Newsom is now waging.

So it seems clear this is the end of any serious “comeback” by Kamala Harris to national politics.

Instead, she is on a major speaking tour to promote her book, and to spread the argument of strong opposition to the horrors of Donald Trump, but not a formal national or state role in that effort.