Former Vice President Kamala Harris has announced that she will not be running for California Governor in 2026, opening the race up to other candidates and putting herself in a more favorable position to run for president in 2028. One of her aims with this action, she said, was to contribute to the Democratic Party as best as possible.

Who is next?

Before she withdrew from the face, Harris was considered the likeliest candidate for the position. Her withdrawal may allow a lot of different faces to appear on the forefront of politics in Sacramento, including former congresswoman Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and others.

My thoughts

I’m not going to comment so much on her announcement about governorship but instead about the disarray of the Democratic Party, and the imbalance it has created. I’m not trying to shame the Democratic Party from reeling after its defeat in the last election cycle. I’m simply trying to recognize that compromises are reached only when both sides have the capacity to advocate for what they want. But as someone who doesn’t identify strongly with either major party, I believe that compromises between the two will ultimately yield the most positive results. I believe it is harmful for either party to become extremely weak or powerful, and I hope that however Harris’s move plays out, that it levels the field and stops further chaos from ensuing.