Vice President Harris is assuring her allies and donors that she has no intention to step off the political stage anytime soon, according to a new report from CNN. She is unsure, however, if she should make a run for California governor in two years or if she should wait to run for president again in 2028.

Running for governor of her home state would be seen as a step down from the vice presidency, according to those who spoke to CNN, and would likely make it difficult for her to mount a presidential bid for 2028. If she won the governorship in two years, she would likely have to announce her presidential bid within a matter of weeks after being sworn into office in 2027. 

“Running for governor would be a step down, and it would interfere with her ability to run for president again,” one person told CNN. “I don’t know if she’s going to run for president again, but a shot at running for president again is worth giving up running for governor.”

If she did choose to run for governor, however, she would be the dominant favorite to win. She served in statewide office in California for more than a decade, and would be able to draw on her vast network of wealthy donors back home and across the country. 

According to a November poll from the University of California at Berkeley, Ms. Harris would be a clear favorite to at least make it to the general election in 2026, given that California holds what is known as a “jungle primary” where all candidates of all parties run in one primary together and the top two finishers face off in a general election. 

In total, 46 percent of voters say they would likely back her for the governorship, while 12 percent of voters would be undecided. Just 42 percent say they would be unlikely to vote for her. 

Passing on a race for governor may give Ms. Harris even more opportunities to serve the Democratic Party. Not running in 2026 means she would be free to campaign alongside other Democrats across the country, much like President Biden did in 2018, which helped him make the decision to launch his own campaign for president. 

A recent poll from Emerson College suggests that Ms. Harris would have a 30-point lead over her nearest competitor for the Democratic nomination for president in four years. The vice president takes 37 percent of the vote, compared to her longtime friend and ally Governor Newsom, who would take just seven percent. Of the other 15 candidates named in the survey, none took more than five percent of the poll share.