Former Vice President Kamala Harris returned to California to a largely indifferent reception from many of her neighbors, offering little enthusiasm when asked about her potential bid to become the state’s next governor. Early polling in the 2026 California gubernatorial race shows Harris drawing limited support, much of it attributed to name recognition rather than active enthusiasm.
She is widely believed to be considering a run as a possible stepping stone toward a 2028 presidential campaign. But ask registered voters on any street in the Golden State, and you’ll likely hear a mix of emotions—ranging from “joyful” to “outraged” to “hopeless”—according to a new Politico/UC Berkeley Citrin Center poll measuring sentiment ahead of California’s first open gubernatorial race in eight years.
Respondents were given a list of adjectives to choose from when asked how they felt about a Governor Harris — “joyful,” “mostly excited,” “indifferent,” “irritated,” “outraged,” “hopeless,” or other — and could select multiple options. The poll was presented to two distinct groups: registered voters and “policy influencers,” a selected group of state and federal lawmakers, staffers, and other paid subscribers to Politico publications.
In a heavily Democratic state, 36% of influencers described their feelings toward a potential Harris campaign for governor as “indifferent.” Some of her former peers within the state find this reaction unsurprising.“She’s never been that popular in the California political high school,” said Mike Murphy, a longtime Los Angeles-based anti-Trump Republican strategist.
Almost the same number of insiders feel either “excited” or “irritated” about a Harris gubernatorial bid, at 22% and 20%, respectively. The feelings of passion and pessimism regarding Harris were even stronger among registered voters. The former vice president resonates deeply with California Democrats, with three out of four expressing that they are either “joyful” or “excited” about the possibility of a run in 2026.
A closer look at independent voters reveals potential vulnerabilities for Harris: 26% said the idea of her running for governor made them feel “irritated,” while another 21% described feeling “hopeless.” Independents make up roughly 20% of California’s registered voters, compared to about 25% who are Republican. Together, these two groups show strong resistance to a Harris candidacy—an obstacle that could prove significant, especially given that Democrats now account for less than half of the state’s overall electorate.
