Written by Timothy Grayson.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris caught everyone off guard Thursday, popping up at a California summit for Black women leaders and dropping hints about her next act after the 2024 election loss to Donald Trump. The event—Leading Women Defined—gave her a stage to remind folks she’s still a force, even if the White House slipped through her fingers.
A Speech That Says More Than It Seems
Harris didn’t waste time with pleasantries in her eight-minute talk. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said flat-out, a line that hit like a gavel for anyone wondering if she’d fade into the background. She’s got history here—California sent her to the Senate in 2017, then watched her climb to vice president under Biden in 2021. Now, with whispers of a 2026 run for governor growing louder, this wasn’t just a feel-good cameo. She’s expected to lock in her choice by summer’s end, but Thursday felt like a soft launch—less a declaration, more a nudge.
She kept it coy about Trump, never saying his name, but you could feel the jab when she mentioned “fear” creeping across the country these past few months. “Many things we knew would happen,” she said, a callback to her campaign warnings that didn’t quite sway voters. Then came the grin—“I’m not here to say, ‘I told you so’”—and the room cheered. It was slick, self-aware, the kind of moment that sticks with you. A teacher in Oakland might’ve nodded along, thinking back to Harris’s Senate days pushing education bills, wondering what she’d do with Sacramento’s reins.
California’s Governor Race Starts Early
The timing’s no accident. Governor Gavin Newsom’s term-limited out in 2026, and the scramble’s already on. Xavier Becerra, ex-Health and Human Services Secretary from Biden’s crew, jumped in Wednesday with his own campaign kickoff. He’s got chops—California Attorney General before going federal—but he’s not Harris. A February poll from Emerson College Polling, teamed up with Inside California Politics and The Hill, pegged her at nearly 60% among likely Democratic primary voters. Becerra’s numbers? Not even close. She’s the name people know, the face they’ve seen.
Harris hasn’t confirmed she’s running, dodging the question with practiced ease. That’s smart—keeps her options open while the dust settles from 2024. Becerra’s in, sure, but imagine a retiree in San Diego flipping through candidates: Harris’s stint as VP and her Bay Area roots outweigh a cabinet guy who’s been off the state radar. The field could widen—Eleni Kounalakis, the lieutenant governor, might try her luck—but Harris looms large. Her summit stop, aimed square at Black women, a Democratic backbone, feels like she’s already working the room.
What This Means for Harris and Beyond
Thursday wasn’t random. Black women turned out big for her in 2020, and California’s primaries hinge on cities like LA and San Francisco—places where her story clicks. That “fear” line? It’s a dog whistle to progressives without alienating the middle. She’s playing chess, not checkers. Becerra’s a contender, no doubt—his AG tenure tackled healthcare and immigration—but he’s not the headliner Harris is. Others might step up, like State Controller Betty Yee, though they’d need a miracle to match her pull.
Zoom out, and it’s bigger than Sacramento. Win governor, and Harris could eye 2028—or later—if Trump’s shine dims. The Democrats are still smarting from November, and she might be the glue they need. Or a spark, depending on how you see it. Her record’s got meat—pushing criminal justice reform as senator, say—but governing a state with wildfires and housing woes is a different beast. A farmer in the Central Valley might care less about her DC days and more about water rights. She’ll need to bridge that.
The national angle’s real. If she pulls this off, it’s a comeback story—VP to governor, maybe back to Washington. Thursday’s speech didn’t scream campaign, but it didn’t have to. It was Harris saying she’s still in the game, testing the crowd, feeling the vibe. The party’s watching, and so’s Trumpworld—because a Harris-led California could shift the whole board.
Our Take
Harris showing up at that summit wasn’t just a Thursday blip—it’s a flare fired into California’s political sky. That “I’m not going anywhere” bit lands hard after 2024’s bruising loss, and with 60% of Democratic voters already in her corner, she’s got a head start Becerra can only dream of. As a journalist piecing this together, I’m struck by how she’s threading the needle—reconnecting with Black women, hinting at Trump’s mess without overplaying it. She’s got the edge if she runs, no question, but the trick will be turning national fame into state-level fixes—think jobs in Riverside, not just speeches in DC. Becerra’s a solid foil, yet he’s outgunned. This feels like the opening chapter of a long fight, and Harris looks ready to write it her way.
