Overview

• Harris officially confirmed she will not seek the 2026 governorship after months of internal deliberation.
• She said a campaign would demand a granular focus on state legislative issues that could curtail her national influence.
• The former vice president will channel her public service into helping elect Democrats across the country from outside office.
• Her withdrawal leaves Governor Gavin Newsom’s open seat contested by a wide Democratic field without a clear frontrunner.
• Harris kept alive the possibility of a third presidential run by declining the governorship and preserving her national platform.