Former Vice President and Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris holds a substantial lead over other potential candidates to succeed California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2026. Despite not indicating if she intends to run in the gubernatorial race,

Former Vice President Kamala Harris has the support of most California Democratic primary voters should she run for governor in 2026. A poll from Emerson College Polling, Inside California Politics, and the Hill reported that 57% of primary voters in Harris’s party would vote for her in a hypothetical election.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris would be the Democratic front-runner for governor of California if she jumped into the Golden State’s 2026 race to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), polling shows.