Former Vice President Kamala Harris is not entering California's 2026 race for governor, she announced Wednesday.

Kamala Harris announced Wednesday that she will not run for California governor, ending months of speculation that the former vice president would seek to succeed Gavin Newsom. “For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office,

Former Vice President Kamala Harris has announced that she will not be running to replace Gavin Newsom as governor of California.

Kamala Harris announced she's not going to run to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom next year in California. So who will step into the spotlight?

Democrats remain favored to hold the seat now occupied by term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a state where Republicans have not won a statewide election in nearly two decades.

Harris announced on Wednesday she is not running for governor in the 2026 election to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom, who cannot run again due to term limits. Harris enjoyed an early polling lead in the race, and some Democrats speculated that if she chose to run, others would have exited the race, deciding not to compete against her.

On "Forbes Newsroom," Matt Taglia, Senior Director of Emerson College Polling, discussed a new Emerson poll on the California gubernatorial race.