Political elites stay silent as Harris eyes a return to power — are voters being ignored again?
Charlie Hurt, co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” and Fox News contributor Steve Hilton discuss Kamala Harris’ self-imposed deadline for announcing a run for governor of California.
Powerful political figures in California appear “indifferent” to former Vice President Kamala Harris as a potential gubernatorial candidate, according to a poll conducted by Politico and the UC Berkeley Citrin Center.
The survey polled registered voters in California and a selected group of political insiders, including lawmakers and state and federal government staff. While California voters expressed more enthusiasm for Harris—with 33% feeling “happy” about the idea—the political experts were less impressed.
Among political insiders, 36% said they were “indifferent” to Harris running for governor. Only 4% said they would be outraged, 22% were “mostly enthusiastic,” and 20% said they were irritated by the possibility of her candidacy.
Though she hasn’t officially declared her candidacy for governor, Harris has vowed to stay politically active since losing to President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. She is also weighing a possible presidential run in 2028.
Harris has received a lukewarm response from California’s independent voters. About 21% said they would feel “hopeless” if she ran, while 26% said they would be “irritated.”
Reactions from voters of color were mixed. Among Black voters, 35% felt “happy” and 38% were “mostly enthusiastic” about her potential candidacy. However, Latino and Asian voters were less supportive.
19% of Latino voters said they would feel “hopeless” about Harris running, and 18% of Asian voters said they would be “irritated” by her candidacy.
“It’s almost a surprising lack of enthusiasm,” said Jack Citrin, a political science professor at UC Berkeley, referring to Latino voters. “But we know from general elections that Latino voters have shifted more toward Trump compared to 2020 or 2016.”
Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024 just one month after former President Joe Biden exited the race following a disastrous debate performance against Trump.
The former vice president has since praised resistance to Trump on social media, saying this month: “Americans are standing up to the administration as it pushes Project 2025 full speed ahead.”
She also posted a clip from an April 7 speech where she declared: “I’ll see you out there. I’m not going anywhere.”
Harris Has Kept a Low Profile Since the 2024 Election Loss
Unlike her 2024 running mate, Governor Tim Walz, who has made several public appearances and given multiple interviews since the election, Harris has limited her presence in the public eye.
Declared Candidates for the 2026 California Gubernatorial Race:
Democrats:
-
Eleni Kounalakis: Current Lieutenant Governor of California.
-
Katie Porter: Former U.S. Representative from Orange County.
-
Tony Thurmond: California State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
-
Xavier Becerra: Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and former California Attorney General.
-
Antonio Villaraigosa: Former Mayor of Los Angeles.
-
Toni Atkins: Former State Senate President pro Tempore.
-
Stephen Cloobeck: Entrepreneur and businessman.
Republicans:
-
Chad Bianco: Riverside County Sheriff.
-
Ric Grenell: Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany and acting Director of National Intelligence.
