Harris jokes about running for California governor if White House bid fails: report

Vice President Kamala Harris might have lofty future ambitions if President Joe Biden loses his office to former President Donald Trump this fall: California’s governorship.

Harris “joked to friends” that she would run for governor in the Golden State when Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) vacates the office in 2026, according to Politico.

Harris’s camp has denied the reports.

“That did not happen,” Harris spokeswoman Kirsten Allen told the outlet. “This November, the vice president will be preparing to be inaugurated for the second term of the Biden-Harris administration.”

The Vice President has obvious connections to California and might be an instant favorite for the governorship if she ever ran, given her name recognition. Harris served as senator for California from 2017 to 2021 after a six-year stint as state Attorney General. She dominated in her senatorial election in 2016, winning 61.6% against Democratic former Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s 38.4%.

There is no clear frontrunner for the 2026 gubernatorial election yet, however, California newspaper columnist wrote Harris could run into problems in a Democratic primary for governor, as she has in other Democratic primaries in the past.

Harris could also decide to run for president in 2028 instead of the earlier gubernatorial race, a common move for vice presidents. Nineteen of 49 vice presidents have run for president, with six — including Biden — winning. But 54% of survey respondents in a USA Today/Suffolk poll said they think Harris isn’t qualified to be president.

Harris has previously shown interest in the highest office in the United States, saying in a Wall Street Journal interview in February that she is “ready to serve,” if Biden cannot continue as President.

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A presidential run for her wouldn’t be dissimilar to Biden’s path to the White House, though she is much younger. Biden served as a senator for Delaware before taking office as vice president and then being elected president.

The new reporting places more insight into Harris’s future moves if Trump wins in November — an occurrence that appears more likely as the Biden-Harris ticket lags in the polls.