Porter And Bianco Rank Highest In CA Governor Poll: Harris A Wild Card
Sonora, CA — There was no clear front-runner in an early poll looking at potential candidates for California Governor in 2026.
Governor Gavin Newsom will be terming out of office, so the race is wide open.
Former Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter, who has hinted that she is considering a run, leads in an early statewide poll.
A new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies Survey shows that she is the first choice of 13% of prospective voters who were asked. In second was Republican Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco with 12%, and Republican Senator Brian Dahle was third with 11%. They are followed by three people with 7%, Democratic Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Republican policy advisor Steve Hilton.
A majority, 52%, stated they are undecided.
A wildcard in the race is former Vice President Kamala Harris, who some pundits believe may consider a run after losing the Presidential election.
In the hypothetical scenario, the poll found that 46% are either very or somewhat likely to consider supporting a Gubernatorial run by Harris, 42% said they would not support her, and 12% are undecided.
It was noted that the poll was conducted October 22-29, prior to the Presidential Election.
