Former Vice President Kamala Harris enjoys a wide lead among California voters, should she enter the already crowded race for Governor in June 2026.
A new Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics/The Hill survey finds that 31 percent of likely voters favor the former Democratic Candidate for President, far ahead of the rest of the contenders.
Former Congresswoman Katie Porter follows a distant second with 8 percent of preference, followed by Republican Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco. Thirty-nine percent of those polled were undecided.
Harris has yet to announce whether she will run for Governor, but is mulling a decision. According to Politico, she will make a decision by the end of summer.
“How competitive the 2026 gubernatorial primary in California depends on whether or not Harris runs — other candidacies, like Katie Porter’s, are contingent on whether or not the former Vice President enters the race,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. “Harris garners 49% of Democrats, while Porter gets 13%. Without Harris in the race, Porter’s support among Democrats rises to 21%, which would make her an early front runner in a crowded field.”
Governor Gavin Newsom term ends next year and he can’t run again. Already, over a dozen candidates have declared a campaign for California’s highest office, including former President pro-tempore of the California Senate and Speaker of the California State Assembly Toni Atkins, former U.S. Secretary of Health and human Services and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, and current Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis. Other Democratic candidates who have announced candidacies are California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and former State Controller Betty Yee.
On the Republican side are Vice President of Zacky Farms Leo Zacky, author Daniel Mercuri, former judge Jimmy Parker, marketing agency founder Brandon Jones, business consultant Sharifah Hardie, and construction manager Kyle Langford.
The last time a Republican won statewide office in California was in 2006 when Arnold Schwarzenegger was reelected as California Governor and Steve Poizner was elected insurance commissioner.
The 2026 California gubernatorial election primary will take place on June 2, 2026. The top-two vote-getters will then advance to the general election on November 3, 2026.
The Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics/The Hill survey also found that economy is the top issue (40 percent) in California voter’s mind, followed by housing affordability (24 percent), followed by threats to democracy, immigration and crime – each with 7 percent.
