Vice President Kamala Harris may have lost the race for president, but new poll numbers show she could be a strong contender if she wants to run for governor of California.
The state will be electing a new governor in 2026, as current Governor Gavin Newsom cannot run again because of term limits.
A pre-election poll from the U.C. Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies shows nearly half of voters (42%) would support Harris if she were to run for governor in 2026 -- more than any other candidate. One in three voters (33%) say they would be very likely to consider supporting her candidacy and another 13% would be somewhat likely.
While Harris may have an advantage as the best known of the candidates, several Democrats are also likely to battle it out for the attention of voters. The poll showed 42% of voters likely would not support Harris, while the other 12% were undecided.
"There's a host of other candidates out there running who just don't seem to be getting off the ground," said KCBS Insider Phil Matier. "They're not that well-known. They're not Gavin Newsom or Jerry Brown or Arnold Schwarzenegger. The closest to that is Kamala Harris, and that immediately puts her in the front seat."
"So it's a big thing," he added, "people just don't know who these people are. And Kamala's a star."
Other candidates atop the field at this early stage are Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter (13% of voters would support), and two Republicans, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (12%) and state Senator Brian Dahle (11%). Three other Democrats follow at 7%: Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Another scale weighing in Harris' direction: 59% of Californians voted for her in the presidential race.
"She's wanted it in the past, and so it would be a strong consideration for her to get into it again," Matier said.