Kamala Harris has touched down in California, but don’t expect a ticker-tape parade or streets lined with adoring fans. Instead, her homecoming has been met with the political equivalent of a shrug. A new poll from Politico and the UC Berkeley Citrin Center shows that the former vice president’s potential 2026 gubernatorial bid is getting about as much enthusiasm as a root canal.
Sure, Harris is considering a run for California governor, likely using the job as a stepping stone to a second White House attempt in 2028. But early polling shows her support is little more than name recognition. Californians know who she is—they’re just not sure they want more of her.
According to the poll, when voters were asked how they’d feel about a Governor Harris, responses ranged from “joyful” to “hopeless.” Not exactly the mandate of a rising star. Among political “influencers” in the state—lawmakers, staffers, and the press corps elite—36% said they’d feel “indifferent” about her candidacy. That’s a stunning level of apathy for someone who’s been a senator, vice president, and former attorney general of the state.
Even veteran political strategist Mike Murphy weighed in, saying, “She’s never been that popular in the California political high school.” That’s a nice way of saying she’s always been more about ambition than authenticity—and it shows.
The divide becomes even more telling when you look at independents and Republicans. Among California’s growing bloc of independent voters, 26% say they’d feel “irritated” by a Harris run, and another 21% say they’d feel “hopeless.” That means nearly half of all independents are dreading the idea of Kamala on the ballot. And with Democrats making up less than half of registered voters in the state, that should set off alarms for anyone not living in a San Francisco echo chamber.
Meanwhile, potential contenders like Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and billionaire Rick Caruso are already circling, smelling blood in the water. Murphy summed it up: “She’ll start in front, but she’s vulnerable to a campaign.”
Kamala Harris may be banking on California as her political safety net, but the early signs suggest voters are tired of the same recycled names and empty resumes. She may be back in California—but whether the state wants her back in charge is an entirely different question.