Kamala Harris just kicked off the California governor’s race
California Democrats say the governor s race next year is wide open after former Vice President Kamala Harris disclosed she will not run For months the outstanding question of whether Harris would jump in remained unknown for candidates lawmakers and observers trying to understand the contours of the race Now it s anyone s guess who ll land the seat I think she would ve been a very strong favorite had she gotten into the race so I think it s now wide open Sen Adam Schiff described NOTUS I am sure it was a challenging decision for her I am grateful for all of her facility to the country and I will be interested in what she does next Even other candidates acknowledged how much the race s future depended on Harris Her decision the present day not to run for Governor of California marks another key turning point for her and our state Xavier Becerra a candidate and the former secretary of wellness and human services wrote in a report Wednesday Vice President Harris s decision not to run reshapes this race for Governor but not the stakes Now Democrats in the state say the race can truly begin It blows the entire governor s race wide open and it will be incredibly competitive Christian Grose a California-based pollster stated NOTUS in a text Perhaps the bulk enthralling Governor s race since he added referencing the recall vote that ended with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor Grose communicated NOTUS that the already crowded roster of candidates might expand as those who may have been holding off on making a decision might now lean toward running after all I aid any decision that she made in terms of running for governor of California and now we re off to a gubernatorial race where we have several great candidates former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mentioned on CNN The field for the Democratic nomination is already a crowded one with candidates including Becerra and former Rep Katie Porter among those with a national profile Other candidates like Lt Gov Eleni Kounalakis the state s former comptroller Betty Yee Superintendent of Constituents Instruction Tony Thurmond former state legislator Toni Atkins and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa enjoy varying levels of local and state name recognition in California I respect her decision but there s a lot of talented leadership in California for voters to choose from Sen Alex Padilla recounted NOTUS adding that he has not endorsed anyone Among other Democrats the response to the Harris news was fast praise of her work as vice president and someone who rose through California s political ranks Kamala Harris has served our state as Attorney General U S Senator and Vice-President We could not be more grateful Rep Robert Garcia posted on X Excited about her hitting the road and traveling the country to help us flip the House and win back Congress Let s go But multiple were also quiet a sign of how plenty of considerations there are to take into account At least one prominent California lawmaker knew he wouldn t be joining the field No no Definitely not Schiff noted when NOTUS petitioned whether he would consider running before chuckling with fellow Sens Ben Ray Luj n and Raphael Warnock in one of the Senate s elevators I m going to make certain news now Warnock joked Adam Schiff for president I m with you Raphael Luj n added This is for governor Schiff corrected Warnock But that s the reason I m not running Schiff added Do not quote me on that This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS a publication from the nonprofit nonpartisan Allbritton Journalism Institute and NEWSWELL home of Times of San Diego Santa Barbara News-Press and Stocktonia
