News broke this past week that former Vice President Kamala Harris is giving serious consideration to a 2026 run for governor of California. Given the recent national polling data that the Democratic Party is at a 29% approval right now, one has to wonder if Harris isn’t reading the tea leaves properly and focusing her sites on the Governor’s Mansion, instead of a rematch in 2028 for the nomination of her party to face someone like Vice President JD Vance or other Republicans.
It is clear the Democratic field is beginning to fill out, with current Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz hosting town halls around the country in Republican districts where members refuse to hold town halls. Then you have California Gov. Gavin Newsom and in his efforts to be more of a centrist Democrat, has invited guests on his podcast who are known to be associated with far right wing causes like Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has also been in the media a lot and very vocal about his opposition to President Donald Trump and MAGA. He is a very wealthy man. Which gives him a big advantage over the rest of the field.
Other Democrats that seem to have an eye on 2028 include former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, but of course Harris herself is considered the early front-runner. But the other woman to watch is Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and a whole host of Democratic rising stars who are being very vocal in opposition to Trump’s first 100 days, and who are also positioning themselves for a 2028 run if they choose to do so.
The key question for Harris, however, is does she believe after her performance in the seven battleground swing states in the 2024 election (where she lost all seven) that she has a chance of getting the nomination again in 2028? I focus on those seven battleground states because I think all pollsters and political analysts regardless of party agree that as long as America has the Electoral College, our elections will come down to 10 states or less.
Harris underperformed Democrats down ticket running for the U.S. Senate in states like my home state of Virginia — where she narrowly won after Joe Biden won by 10 points in 2020 — and also in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and North Carolina.
Also on the table is the 800 pound gorilla in the room — whether or not the Democratic Party has the stomach to nominate another woman at the top of a ticket after Hillary Rodham Clinton’s loss to Trump in 2016 and Harris’ loss to Trump in 2024. Moreover, with DEI being under assault by the Trump administration not just on people of color but of women as well , my belief is that the Democrats will want to have a traditional white male at the top of a ticket and maybe have a female as a vice presidential candidate or a man of color like U.S. Sen. Cory Booker from New Jersey or others.
So here are my thoughts about what Harris should do: I think that running for governor of California is her best path to end what has been a historic and sterling career in politics. If Harris runs for governor of California in 2026 she would be the early favorite in the Democratic primary. I do not think her winning the primary is a fait accompli, but I do think she is the leading person depending on who else decides to run. If she wins governor of California, she would become the first woman governor of America’s largest state and she would be the first Black woman ever elected to a governorship in the United States of America. Once again making history.
Here is the great news, after two terms Harris would be just 69 years old which would be the same age Ronald Reagan was when he ran for the presidency and won in 1980. Harris can kill two birds with one stone. Running for governor of California in 2026 gives her the option of sitting out 2028, which is going to be a crowded Democratic field. With many including Walz saying she had her chance, Democrats need a new way forward.
I think California is her best path forward. It will be interesting to see the path that she chooses.
Credit: handout
Credit: handout
Sophia A. Nelson is the author of “Black Woman Redefined: Dispelling Myths and Discovering Fulfillment in the Age of Michelle Obama” and “E Pluribus One: Reclaiming our Founders’ Vision for a United America.” She is a former GOP counsel for the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee.
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