Former Vice President Kamala Harris’s potential bid for California governor is generating little enthusiasm among Democratic fundraisers in the state, Politico reported Friday.
The outlet spoke with several California-based Democratic donors, many of whom expressed lukewarm reactions to Harris’s interest in a gubernatorial run following her 2024 presidential election defeat. So far, her possible candidacy has failed to spark significant excitement within the party’s donor base. “She still would probably lead, but honestly, no one is incredibly pumped,” one Southern California fundraiser told Politico.
Kamala Harris, who lost the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump, is seriously weighing a 2026 bid to succeed term-limited California Governor Gavin Newsom. A source close to Harris told Fox News Digital in March that she has informed allies she plans to decide by the end of summer whether to move forward with a gubernatorial campaign.
Harris is reportedly considering two main paths: running for governor of her home state next year or mounting another presidential campaign in 2028. Early polling for the next Democratic presidential primary—largely driven by name recognition at this stage—shows Harris with a sizable lead over other potential contenders.
“In interviews, several major donors in the state told POLITICO they fear her reemergence as a candidate would re-open still-fresh wounds from her defeat in 2024,” the outlet reported. “Some harbor lingering frustration about how her billion-dollar campaign juggernaut ended in debt and want assurances she would have a clear plan to win the governor’s mansion.”
Mather Martin, a party fundraiser from San Francisco who worked for multiple Harris campaigns, told Politico, “There was more enthusiasm at first” for Harris’ run. However, he added, “I think it waned a bit.” One donor, who contributed a six-figure sum to Harris’ presidential campaign last year, told the outlet that they found the collapse of her White House bid “traumatizing” and seemed hesitant to support her in the state.
“Kamala just reminds you we are in this complete s— storm. With Biden, we got bamboozled… I think she did the best she could in that situation, but obviously she knew about the cognitive decline too. I’ve written so many checks because I knew the Trump administration would be horrible, but we’re living in a nightmare because of the Democrats. I’m furious at them, truly,” the donor told Politico.
The donor who declared that “no one is incredibly pumped” about Harris’ run also shared that donors “realize it’s just going to bring up the whole pathetic last presidential, which no one wants to hear about again. And then it’s the whole ‘Did you know Joe Biden?’ thing.”
