Kamala Harris leading in California governor’s race but voters split on her running

If Kamala Harris does pull the trigger on running for governor of California later this year she'd be the top contender, a new poll finds.

An Emerson College survey released Thursday shows 31% of Golden State voters who plan to cast a ballot in the June 2026 primary would support the former vice president over a wide-ranging field.

But California voters are evenly split on whether the 60-year-old Democrat, who lost last year's pivotal presidential race, should enter the race. It shows 50% think Harris should run for governor while the other half believe she shouldn't.

Harris is reportedly weighing her options which include a third bid for president or a campaign to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, a fellow Democrat, who is also potential 2028 White House contender himself.

No other candidates crack double-digits and a plurality of 39% are undecided, the poll shows. The closest rival to Harris, who was twice elected statewide as attorney general and senator, is former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter who rakes in 8% and Republican Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco who holds 4%.

“How competitive the 2026 gubernatorial primary in California depends on whether or not Harris runs — other candidacies, like Katie Porter’s, are contingent on whether or not the former vice president enters the race,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.

Harris had kept a relatively low public profile since her gut-punch loss to President Donald Trump last fall, but she has remained active. This week, for instance, she sent out a message spotlighting Black Maternal Health Week, which seeks to raise awareness about Black women giving birth dying at higher rates than other racial and ethnic groups .

But earlier this month Harris popped back into the headlines with remarks that were looked at as a not-so-subtle rebuke of Trump and his administration's actions since returning to office in January.

“Fear is contagious and we are witnessing that no doubt but I say this also my dear friends: courage is also contagious,” Harris said at an April 3 speech at the Leading Women Defined Summit in California.

Harris will reportedly make a decision by the end of the summer about whether she will run for governor.

“We can't go out there and do battle if we don't take care of ourselves and each other,” she said at the summit. “Please take care of yourselves, be blessed and I'll see you other there. I'm not going anywhere.”

Contributing: Joey Garrison

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Poll: California voters split on Kamala Harris running for governor