NEWNow you can hearken to Fox Information articles!
It’s open season within the California gubernatorial major after former Vice President Kamala Harris mentioned she is not going to pursue a 2026 bid to be Gov. Gavin Newsom’s successor.
On July 30, Harris mentioned in an announcement that she wouldn’t search elected workplace “for now.”
“In current months, I’ve given severe thought to asking the individuals of California for the privilege to function their Governor. I really like this state, its individuals, and its promise. It’s my dwelling. However after deep reflection, I’ve determined that I cannot run for Governor on this election,” she wrote, only a day earlier than asserting her memoir “107 Days.”
CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT DROPS OUT OF GOVERNOR’S RACE TO RUN FOR A DIFFERENT ROLE
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks throughout a marketing campaign rally, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, on the PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photograph/Jacquelyn Martin)
For the reason that announcement, there have been many main developments within the race, together with Lt. Gov Eleni Kounalakis dropping out to run for treasurer as a substitute.
“This determination was not made flippantly,” Kounalakis acknowledged on Friday. “At this second, I imagine I could make the best impression by specializing in California’s monetary future.”
Kounalakis is a longtime pal of Harris, and she or he appeared to have gotten the backing of former Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier than her exit.
“We’ve many nice candidates, one specifically, Eleni Tsakopoulos, whom I assist,” Pelosi mentioned in a current CNN interview, calling the Lt. Gov. by her maiden title.
KAMALA HARRIS TO PUBLISH BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCOUNT OF FAILED 2024 CAMPAIGN
California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis (C) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (R) attend the primary day of the Democratic Nationwide Conference on the United Middle on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois (Justin Sullivan/Getty Pictures)
Her determination to drop out triggered a response from Rick Caruso, a Los Angeles actual property mogul who ran in opposition to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in 2022. Caruso is taken into account a possible candidate to enter the gubernatorial race.
“Eleni Kounalakis embodies the ingenuity, creativity, and drive that make California nice,” Caruso posted to X on Friday. “A extensively revered enterprise chief, she has created numerous jobs for working households in our state. Her service in public workplace has been exemplary. I look ahead to her subsequent excellent contribution to our nice state.”
In the meantime, the sector nonetheless has a big pool of candidates, together with former Rep. Katie Porter, Biden-era Well being and Human Providers Secretary Xavier Becerra, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
KAMALA HARRIS DECISION NOT TO RUN IN 2026 OPENS DOOR TO POSSIBLE SECOND PRESIDENTIAL RUN IN 2028
President Biden appears to be like on as Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., speaks earlier than Biden delivered remarks on reducing prices for American households at Irvine Valley School in Orange County on Oct. 14, 2022 in Irvine, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Pictures)
Porter beforehand ran for Senate and got here in third within the major behind Sen. Adam Schiff and former Dodgers star Steve Garvey, a Republican.
On the Republican facet, Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco are operating for a spot within the top-two open major system.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Neither Harris nor Newsom has publicly made endorsements within the race, and the 2 are additionally thought-about potential contenders within the 2028 presidential election.
The first election is on June 2, 2026.
