As speculation swirls around whether Kamala Harris will make a bid for governor of California, she has received support from the most unlikely source – California Republicans.
Republicans are apparently hoping that Harris is such a disastrously governor that it would turn the state of California red as a result.
‘I sense that this is the best shot for someone to be elected statewide in California who’s not a Democrat for at least 20 years, and I think the evident reason for that is the failure of one-party rule,’ conservative commentator Steve Hilton declared in a recent fundraising email.
‘The candidate who’s going to win in 2026, regardless of party label, is the change candidate. Kamala Harris is the one who least represents change.’
With Governor Gavin Newsom term-limited out in 2026, Harris has remained coy about her future, teasing in an April appearance, ‘I’ll see you out there. I’m not going anywhere.’
Across GOP circles, the prospect of Harris entering the race is being openly celebrated for what it promises Republican candidates.
From political consultants to fringe MAGA influencers, a Harris candidacy is being treated as a golden opportunity to rile up donors, energize disaffected voters, and, perhaps most crucially, draw national attention to an otherwise unwinnable contest.
‘I’d jump for joy,’ Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told supporters. ‘She’s the perfect example of everything Californians are sick of – soft on crime, blind to our problems, and more focused on DC than Main Street.’
Some of the loudest voices calling for former Vice President Kamala Harris to jump into the race for California Governor are not from Democratic loyalists but California Republicans.
The next California gubernatorial election will take place in November 2026
Republican strategist Dave Gilliard agreed, saying her entry would be a dream scenario.
‘I think it could attract some donors from around the country who might be interested in taking another pound of flesh,’ Republican political consultant Dave Gilliard said to Politico.
‘Money is the biggest obstacle other than the registration because the donor world doesn’t think a Republican can be elected governor anymore.’
Even Elon Musk’s name has been floated as a possible wildcard donor.
The former vice president has given herself until late summer to decide whether to run.
The billionaire has sparred with Harris on social media and publicly blasted her support for diversity policies and social justice causes.
While Musk hasn’t weighed in directly, insiders suggest his disdain for Harris could reignite his interest in California politics.
With Governor Gavin Newsom term-limited out in 2026, Harris has so far remained coy about her future
Elon Musk hasn’t weighed in directly but insiders suggest his disdain for Harris could reignite his interest in California politics
There’s a reason Harris evokes such a visceral response from the right. Her tenure as vice president was marked by relentless attacks from Donald Trump and conservative media.
Her prosecutorial past has been dissected from both the left and the right and her 2024 loss to Trump, after stepping in as the Democratic nominee following Biden’s withdrawal, mean she is toxic when it comes to elections.
‘She’s had her chance,’ said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. ‘Democrats must turn elsewhere for leadership.’
But Republican messaging is far from subtle. ‘This is our shot,’ Hilton told supporters. ‘She’ll clear the Democratic field, but we’ll get to define her – and she’s already underwater.’
Indeed, while Harris trounced Trump in California in 2024, she underperformed Joe Biden’s 2020 numbers, particularly among Latinos and swing voters in purple counties.
‘She won two statewide elections, and she won in California when she was running for president,’ Bianco said. ‘But those votes didn’t go to Kamala Harris. Those votes went against Donald Trump.’
California’s infamous ‘jungle primary’ system means that Harris wouldn’t necessarily face a Republican in the general election.
‘She’ll clear the Democratic field, but we’ll get to define her – and she’s already underwater,’ said conservative commentator Steve Hilton
‘I’d jump for joy,’ Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, pictured, told supporters (if Kamala Harris ran). ‘She’s the perfect example of everything Californians are sick of – soft on crime, blind to our problems, and more focused on DC than Main Street.’
All candidates compete in a single open primary, and the top two vote-getters – regardless of party – advance.
That means Harris could be forced into a brutal head-to-head with another Democrat in the general. Already, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Rep. Katie Porter, and Xavier Becerra are eyeing the race.
At least some, however, are expected to bow out if Harris runs.
‘She’s got the résumé – but so do a lot of people who’ve lost,’ said Republican consultant Kevin Madden. ‘What she doesn’t have is momentum.’
And Democratic strategist Eric Jaye cautioned against viewing the race as a coronation. ‘She’s polarizing, and not just with Republicans. Democrats have questions too.’
If Harris were to run, she’d inherit a California in turmoil.
The state is facing a $12 billion deficit, wildfires are worsening, homelessness remains a humanitarian crisis, and home insurance markets are collapsing.
‘Why the hell would you want this job?’ Newsom himself quipped on the Next Up with Mark Halperin podcast.
‘You need a burning ‘why.’ If you can’t enunciate that, don’t do it.’
If Harris were to run, she’d inherit a California in turmoil. The state is facing a $12 billion deficit, with homelessness a humanitarian crisis
California is a mess with worsening wildfires and home insurance markets collapsing
While Harris has nearly universal name recognition, an elite fundraising machine, and deep institutional ties, she also carries a historic loss to Donald Trump, middling approval ratings, and a political brand that has never quite caught fire.
‘If she’s beatable (and if she runs), it won’t be by a Republican,’ Democratic consultant Dan Newman, who worked with Harris’ California-based political consultants, said to Politico. ‘For now at least, Republicans can’t win statewide.’
Even if Harris wins, Republicans are ready to claim a different kind of victory.
‘She has a chance to be embarrassed even if she wins,’ said GOP consultant Kevin Spillane, who managed the campaign of Harris’ 2010 opponent. ‘It could be a pyrrhic victory.’
