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Former Vice President Kamala Harris has called for a prolonged decision on whether to run for governor, winning other Democrats in 2026, and saying the state now needs leaders to protect Californians and combat President Trump’s destructive policies.
Criticism of Harris’ late decision, expected this summer, varies from sharp and direct to diagonal and circuitry.
“The challenges California faces are too big to wait for candidates who want to come later in the game,” said former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigoza, who announced his governor’s campaign in July. “California is not a stepping stone to a higher office.”
He pointed out that Harris failed at the 2024 presidential contest and Harris failed at the 2024 presidential contest due to the decision that President Biden would resign a few months before the election.
“This is not a cor crown,” he said in an interview this month. “We can’t run to the end of the rainbow. We saw the 100-day campaign. Look at what it brought us.”
The fact that former Irvine Sen. Katie Porter and former U.S. Health and Human Services chief Xavier Beterra and two other Democrats ran for governor were sitting on the sidelines and called out politicians.
“Don’t wait for everyone to lead, I think we need to make a point right now,” Porter said in a March interview shortly after being asked what Harris’ chances of entering the race meant for her candidacy. “There’s an incredible urgency on the ground I think is spreading across California and the political spectrum.”
Becerra gave similar points, as she announced her candidacy in early April.
“Looking at what unfolds in front of me, it became clear that this wasn’t the time to sit on the sidelines,” Becerra said in an interview.
Polls show that Harris will become an instant front runner if he decides to jump into the governor’s race. Harris is not only known nationwide as a former vice president and presidential candidate, but also has a track record of winning statewide races in California.
Sources close to the former vice president say Harris is expected to make a decision by the end of the summer.
Sources pointed to Harris’ experience as a San Francisco district attorney, state attorney general and US senator before being elected vice president in 2020.
“We can’t question her commitment to public services and to the people of California and our country,” the person said. “The Vice President’s decision will always be focused on the best way to serve people.”
Harris’ success in the state, her name recognition, and her national donor base were part of the reasons why she expected to easily clear the field once she entered the governor’s race.
“As a governor candidate, she has a very clear, calm effect on everyone else’s fundraising ability,” said veteran Democratic strategist Darry Sragow. “Perhaps every donor uses excuses for things they can avoid writing a check, which is exacerbated by the fact of looming uncertainty here.
However, other California Democratic strategists have noted that donors’ patience may ultimately fade when the party is struggling with large checks they wrote in the 2024 election and policy decisions from the Trump White House.
Tracy Austin, a well-known Democratic fundraiser based in Los Angeles, says she has been linked to multiple candidates in the race, but she’s already growing frustration due to concerns about how much time Harris is spending on the 2024 presidential campaign and party direction.
The funding report is not scheduled until July, but candidates will need to report donations of more than $5,000.
Villaraigosa leads the pack and has earned around $3.2 million from donors such as director Rob Reiner, producer and television personality Ryan Seacrest and former Walt Disney chief Michael Eisner.
Other candidates have been in the race much more recently, and the footprint between donors writing big checks has become much smaller. It’s just over $215,000 for Republican County Sheriff Chad Bianco. $133,400 for Porter.
The strength of candidates among small donors is invisible for months.
Republicans enjoy the prospect of Harris taking part in the race. Bianco blows up the fundraising charm with a message line calling Harris’ name.
“The threats that Democratic leaders pose to our community now are more enthusiastic than ever,” he wrote earlier this month. “That’s because Kamala Harris is positioning himself to run for governor of California. Today, I’m asking him to help him defeat the radical Kamala Harris in the California Governor race.”
Harris’ potential candidacy was frequently raised in the state’s GOP treaty in Sacramento last month.
“I personally think it’s under her, but I’m welcome,” party chair Jessica Milan Patterson told reporters. “I want to see her by vote.”
Since losing the 2024 election to Trump, Harris has hardly been made public. He visited firefighters and volunteers in devastating Los Angeles area wildfires, watched Broadway plays in New York City, and accepted awards from the NAACP.
Harris has been cautious during her several public appearances since losing the 2024 presidential election. On April 3, she made some of her most pointed remarks before a gathering of black female business leaders, politicians and other prominent people since her inauguration.
Harris condemned the rollback of fundamental rights under the Trump administration, vowing to be aggressive in the fight to protect constitutional protections.
“See you there,” she vowed. “I’m not going anywhere.”
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