Rob Bonta pulls name from governor’s race, backs Harris to replace Newsom – Washington Examiner

Emily HallasFebruary 5, 2025

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced that he will not run to⁢ replace Governor Gavin Newsom,who is nearing the end of his second term. Instead, Bonta expressed his support for‍ former Vice President Kamala Harris as a ‍potential candidate for the governorship, ‍describing her as a “great governor.” Despite speculation about his political ambitions, Bonta confirmed ‍he will seek a second term ‌as attorney general, focusing on his current role and ongoing legal resistance to the Trump management’s policies.

As the 2026 election approaches, other Democrats such as Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and former Los angeles Mayor⁣ Antonio Villaraigosa are also considering candidacies. Polls indicate that ‍former Representative Katie Porter could be a frontrunner if Harris does not enter the⁢ race.However, a potential Harris candidacy would significantly impact the ‌dynamics of the Democratic primary, leading analysts to believe it‌ could clear the field for‌ her, should she decide to run. Harris‌ is expected to make her decision on running by late spring of 2025.

Rob Bonta pulls name from governor’s race, backs Harris to replace Newsom

During an interview outlining the next stage of his career, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he won’t run to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

After considering a run for months to continue climbing the ladder in California politics all the way to the top, Bonta said he isn’t interested in getting into the high-profile contest. And even if he did want to go out and woo voters, he made it clear no Democrat would stand a chance in the contest if former Vice President Kamala Harris decides she wants to run.

With Newsom’s second and final term in office drawing to a close, a host of California Democrats, including Bonta and Harris, have been floated as his possible successor ahead of the 2026 election.

During an interview with Politico, Bonta shut down speculation he wants to sit in the governor’s mansion and announced he is seeking a second term as attorney general.

Instead, he declared Harris had his support to be the Golden State’s next leader.

“Kamala Harris would be a great governor,” Bonta said of the former vice president, who has not yet given a firm indication she will launch a gubernatorial campaign and is also rumored to be weighing another presidential run in 2028.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), left, talks with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, during the Assembly’s Organizational Session in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. After taking their oath of office, the Assembly opened the special legislative session called for by Newsom to introduce legislation to provide additional funds to the California Department of Justice to deal with policy differences between the state and federal governments. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

“I would support her if she ran, I’ve always supported her in everything she’s done. She would be field-clearing,” the attorney general continued.

Bonta’s decision to remain attorney general comes as he has sparked national debate for leading California and the nation’s legal resistance to President Donald Trump’s White House.

Earlier this week, California lawmakers approved a set of bills giving Bonta $25 million to bring lawsuits against the Trump administration, with the move coming as he has vowed to use the courts to block the White House’s policy of deporting illegal immigrants.

Bonta’s choice to continue to helm the attorney general’s office affords Harris, once considered one of the Democratic Party’s biggest stars, a chance to reclaim top-dog status after her bruising defeat to Trump during the 2024 presidential election.

Still, the race to govern the country’s most populous state is far from set.

Democratic candidates who have already thrown their name in the ring to replace Newsom include Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Senate leader Toni Atkins, former state Controller Betty Yee, and state schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond.

Without Harris in the race, polling shows former Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) has emerged as the early frontrunner, although the ex-lawmaker has yet to declare her gubernatorial ambitions.

But Porter’s early momentum would likely be squashed should Harris or Xavier Becerra, a former California attorney general who is reportedly eying the governor’s seat after serving as secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration, enter the race.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris wave during a campaign event at the IBEW-NECA Joint Apprenticeship Training Center in San Leandro, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Expressing a sentiment echoed by Kounalakis, Porter herself said in December that if Harris entered the race, it would entail seismic implications for Democratic contenders.

“If Vice President Harris were to choose to run, I am certain that that would have a near field-clearing effect on the Democratic side,” she mused during a UC Irvine panel interview.

Harris will likely announce a decision on the governor’s race by late spring, a Democratic strategist told the Los Angeles Times.