New 2026 Gubernatorial Poll Finds Waning Support for Possible Kamala Harris Run

According to a new Politico/UC Berkeley Citrin Center poll, there is waning support for a Kamala Harris Gubernatorial bid, with 47% of independent voters saying that Harris running made them feel “irritable” or “hopeless”.

The poll, conducted earlier this month, asked both registered voters and political insiders how they felt about a possible Harris run for Governor, with listed poll emotions including “joyful,” “mostly excited,” “indifferent,” “irritated,” “outraged,” “hopeless,” or other. Amongst registered voters, Harris received a lukewarm response, especially in comparison to earlier polls. The poll released on Tuesday found that, amongst Democrats, only 33 percent were “joyful” about a possible Harris run, with 41 percent feeling “mostly excited.” While negative feelings were under 10%, about 25% were indifferent.

And the numbers go sharply down in other demographics. The overwhelming top picks amongst GOP registered voters  were “irritated” and “outraged”, while independents, a key demographic for any candidate, clocked in 47% saying that her running made them feel “irritable” or “hopeless.” Even more worrying for Harris was the low support figures from non-black voters. While black voters wanted a Harris run, with 35% of them saying they were “joyful” and 38% saying “mostly excited,” other races were more mixed, with white voters being polarized with Harris.

Perhaps most worrying for Harris was the critical Latino and Asian votes. Harris has never done well with either groups in any of her previous races. This includes the 2024 Presidential election. In the 2016 and 2020 elections, both Clinton and Biden got 66% and 72% of the Latino vote respectively. But in 2024, Harris nosedived on that demographic, getting well below 60% of the vote while the GOP under Donald Trump managed to get 42% of the vote in California. And in the poll, 18% of Asian voters chose “irritated” and 19% of Latinos said she made them feel “hopeless.”

Even Jack Citrin, a political science professor at UC Berkeley, agreed.

“It’s almost a surprising lack of enthusiasm from Latinos,” said Citrin to Politico. “But we know from the general election that Latino voters shifted as compared to 2020 or 2016 towards Trump.”

Amongst political insiders polled it was even worse for Harris, with 36% “indifferent” to her running.

A possible run for Harris

Several other gubernatorial candidates reacted to the poll on Tuesday, including former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D).

“The findings from Politico and the UC Berkeley Citrin Center confirm that her initial strength in horse race polls are just a reflection of her name ID and the fact that she just spent $1.4 billion on a losing presidential campaign,” explained Villaraigosa. “It’s clear that Californians agree we need a proven problem solver and there’s no appetite for a coronation. People want a leader willing to take on the tough challenges we face. The issues of the cost of living, housing and homelessness are too important for people to think they can stand on the sidelines and come in late to the game.”

 Early polls showed that Harris was the strong favorite among potential and declared candidates, with a November 2024 poll and a February 2025 poll showing her with 72% and 57% support amongst Democrats, and the November poll showing 46% support across all political leanings. However, thanks in part to former Congresswoman Katie Porter (D) entering the race, Harris slipped to second in polling. According to a March 2025 poll, Harris was down by five points to Porter. The Politico poll on Tuesday helped validate the tumble of support for Harris, but, as no other candidates were asked about, did not show where she currently stands amongst the other candidates in the race. But it does prove that Harris is slipping.

Complicating matters is that fact that both Porter and fellow candidate Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis have said that they would drop out of the race should Harris enter, meaning that Harris would have a likely larger pool of support, especially amongst female voters, one of Harris’ most critical blocs of support. But even then, her status as a black female candidate, unique in her prior elections, would not be seen as such. In addition to Villaraigosa, a Latino, and Porter and Kounalakis, females, Harris will need to face off against a diverse Democratic field including former California Attorney General and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), and Former State Controller Betty Yee.

But if she enters, she may also face even tougher GOP candidates, with only Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco the only major Republican so far to throw his hat in the ring. A few Republicans, like Special Presidential Envoy and former Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell, who said he would enter the race should she run, meaning she may have an even more diverse field to contend with, with even fewer independents going for her as well.

The poll on Tuesday confirmed just how hard it is going to be for Harris.