Kamala Harris will not join California's governor's race

Former Vice President Kamala Harris will not be running for Governor of California.

For months speculation has been rampant about the future of Harris, the Democrats nominee for President in 2020. Would she throw her hat into an already crowded race to become governor of California?

In a social media post this morning, the  alifornia-born Indian American, answered the question.

“I love this state, its people and its promise. It is my home. But after deep reflection, I’ve decided that I will not run for Governor in this election,” she posted Wednesday.

“For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office,” she said in her post. “I look forward to getting back out and listening to the American people, helping elect Democrats across the nation who will fight fearlessly, and sharing more details in the months ahead about my own plans.”

If she had chosen to throw her hat in the ring to lead the state, most political watchers said she would have won handily as the state's former Attorney General and US Senator.

In 2020, Harris was unsucessful in her race for President against eventual winner Donald Trump. Her campaign was hampered by the late late withdrawal of President Joe Biden therefore not giving her enough time to gain national support.

Her decision leaves open the possibility of another run for the Presidency in 2028. While she would become the best known of the possible Democratic candidates, she must overcome the negative memory associated with her defeat in 2024. There is also a half-dozen other strong potential candidates already jockeying for national recognition.

Below, is Kamala Harris' statement:

If Harris had entered the governor's race, she would have become the frontrunner but her decision leaves the contest wide open, especially for the Democrats. Thus far, the Democrats have a deep bench of well-known candidates, including: Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis; Secretary of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond; Xavier Becerra, who led the Department of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden; former Rep. Katie Porter; Toni Atkins, who served as both California Senate president pro tempore and California House speaker; former State Comptroller Betty Yee; and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

        RELATED: Attorney General Rob Bonta steps away from governor's race

Among Republicans, Chad Bianco, Riverside County Sheriff and Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator and author have thrown their hats into the gubernatorial ring. 

California has an open primary. The top two finishers, regardless of party affiliation, will runoff against each other. In deep blue California, it is possible for two Democrats to wind up in an expensive campaign to lead the state.

Several of the Democrats said they would withdraw from the contest if Harris decides to run. However, with Harris no longer possibility, the race for governor can begin in earnest. Candidates can now start knocking on donors' doors who had also hedging their bets as they waited to hear from Harris. 

“It finally begins the race; it’s almost like the starting gun truly goes off now,” Democratic strategist Kevin Liao tells KQED. “Now I expect these donors are getting plenty of calls from the other candidates starting today, and it really allows these candidates to flesh out their vision for the state without this looming presence of Harris.”

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AAPI Vote 2018: AsAm legislators protest ad attacking John Chiang

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Treasurer John Chiang battle it out. 

WITH LESS THAN TWO WEEKS to go before voters go to the polls for the California primary, the race for governor is turning nasty with a negative ad targeting fellow Democrat John Chiang from frontrunner Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In a way, the attack ad is a compliment to Chiang, who has an outside chance of going head to head against Newsom in the November elections. He is airing an aggressive campaign against his chief rival, former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Asian American and Pacific Islander legislators wrote a strong protest letter to the California Medical Association and the California Dental Association, both of whom endorsed Newsom, protesting the ad's message.

In a press release, Chiang's campaign called the TV spot "false and erroneous" and said that the lattack from Newsom is a sign that Chiang is gaining public support. 

The battle for the June 5 primary in the governor's race is for No. 2. Newsom has consistently polled far ahead of everybody else. In California's rules, the top two vote-getters in the primary will have a run-off in November, regardless of party.

Newsom's attack ad claims that Chiang, who previously served as state treasurer and state controller, "lost track of $31 billion" during his stint as controller. 

The Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, chaired by Assemblymember Rob Bonta, sent a letter to the two medical groups in protest. 

"John is a strong advocate for true access to high-quality, affordable healthcare for all Californians," the letter said. "He believes that health care is a right for all, not a privilege for just the wealthy. He will protect and defend the Affordable Care Act against attacks from Washington. He will also prioritize access to preventative care, basic primary care, and he will fight to make needed prescription drugs affordable and accessible.

"These negative attacks on John are unfounded and unwarranted. Any effort to

diminish his track record of accomplishments with negative attacks is extremely

misguided. We call on CDA and CMA to cease these attacks immediately," the letter concluded.

It still doesn't explain why Newsom would spend some of his campaign chest against Chiang, who a month ago most observers believe finish third on JUne 5 - at best - but still out of the money. 

As for who would run against Newsom in November, it's a tossup. Most polls have the contest between Villaraigosa and one of the two Republicans running for governor Assemblymember Travis Allen or John Cox but Sunday, the San Francisco Chronicle had the three Democrats -- Villaraigosa, Chiang and Delaine Eastin.

Chiang's campaign created a website in November 2017 that highlighted a 2009 San Francisco Weekly article recalling Gavin's time as San Francisco's mayor. It was headlined "Why was Mayor Gavin Newsom's San Francisco Called 'the Worst Run Big City' in the U.S.?"

The website was taken down in January 2018 and Parke Skelton, Chiang's political consultant, resigned after that.

A political action committee (not affiliated or connected with Chiang's campaign) called Asian American Small Business PAC, created an anti-Newsom ad, which uses innuendo to suggest to viewers of an affair Newsom had in 2005 when he was San Francisco mayor. While the ad was never televised, it remains on the group's website and the PAC has the money in its war chest to air it.

As a registered PAC, Chiang has no control what the group puts out but Newsom does control the content of his campaign ad against Chiang.

“Gavin Newsom’s desperate attempt to attack John's record is evidence that John is gaining momentum, and that Gavin is scared to confront his biggest one-on-one threat this November,” said Fabien Levy, Deputy Campaign Manager and Communications Director for John Chiang’s campaign in the press release. “These dirty attacks show Gavin lacks the integrity to be governor and can't be trusted to tell the truth."

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John Chiang embraces 'underdog' role in California governor's race

State Treasurer John Chiang is running for California governor.

IF ELECTED, State Treasurer John Chiang would become California's first Asian/American governor.

His problem is that hardly anyone knows he's running for the state's top office. In a Feb. 8 poll conducted by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of Calfiornia, 40 percent of respondents said they have favorable opinions of Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, but for Chiang, more than half said they have no opinion — or have never heard of him or the other five candidates.
Chiang's life story as the son of immigrants from Taiwan, growing up as one of the few Asian Americans in his schools and overcoming the taunts and racism that entails, then getting elected to statewide positions is inspirational.  His resume of public service is impeccable. He is devoid of any drama or scandal. He should be the frontrunner. Except ... this year. 

His opponents have bigger names and generally have more access to campaign funds. It sometimes seems, the other candidates have been preparing for this race their whole lives: building up their resumes, making positive life choices, nurturing friendships and relationships.

Chiang, the current State Treasurer,  is running against some well-known political  heavyweights: the current Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, the former mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigrosa are in a virtual toss-up as frontrunners. 

Even though Chiang won statewide elections as Controller and Treasurer, plus his years on the State Board of Equalization, those years working in the background are not the "glamor" posts that garner headlines.

He is best known for two bold moves: Resisting Gov. Arnold Schwarzennegar's order to reduce state workers' paychecks to minimum wage until a budget is passed in 2010 (Chiang eventually lost that fight in court but by then, the impasse had passed); and withholding the paychecks of state lawmakers until they pass the 2011 budget.

Despite those two actions, years overseeing the "numbers" trying to balance the books isn't as attention-getting or glitzy as hanging out with the stars, declaring LGBTQ marriages equal, or headline-grabbing positions on Latino empowerment or the #MeToo movement like his opponents have done.

Despite looking like a bookkeeper, the bespectacled Chiang has proven to be a tough campaigner whether it be among the Central Valley's farmers, in the big city ethnic enclaves, the offices of Silicon Valley or in the halls of the capitol.

He has embraced the underdog characterization of his campaign, hoping the American penchant for rooting for the underdog will work to his advantage.

"Growing up in the midwest, we were called plenty of names by folks. I would hear 'gook' and 'chink,' commonly.  It was a very different era and it wasn’t easy," he said.

Chiang's biggest advantage, is that all of his opponents have major flaws. In California's election rules, only the top two vote-getters in the June primary will run against each other in November, no matter what party affiliation. Most likely, the two finalists will be Democrats. California is the bluest of blue states and Donald Trump's presidency will bring out a heavy anti-GOP vote.

Running one-on-one, Chiang would have a better chance, even against the well-financed, Hollywood darling and leading-man handsome Gavin Newsom, who most California watchers would consider the frontrunner.

L.A. City Councilman Jose Huizar
endorses John Chiang.

Though Newsom declared his intention to run for Governor in 2015, a year before Chiang announced his candidacy, Chiang has shown he has statewide appeal from major donors. At the beginning of his campaign in 2016, he drew heavily from Asian/American supporters. but has reached out to other interest groups. 

Early in his campaign, he received a key endorsement from the influential Latino leader, Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar that will help him against Villaraigrosa's base of support:

“If you want flash and no substance, look no further than the White House at this time and see how that’s working out. But if you want a trusted, steady and fearless leader who knows when to get tough against special interests, who knows when to cross the aisle to get things done for the people, then John Chiang is your choice for governor," said Huizar.

“He’s been a leader on important issues like getting more money for affordable housing, making sure that more California children have access to higher education, and making sure that even in these tough economic times, he was able to find funds for those things that are important to California people … He is a progressive who knows how to balance a checkbook.

He has the habit of falling back on his 20 years of public service when speaking to the general public. He has apologized for getting too "wonky."

In California's primary, voters can cross party lines to vote for a candidate. If Chiang's fiscal background can attract some moderate Republicans and/or the 30 percent of undecided voters, he could wind up as one of the top two finishers. As governor, “I’d be aspirational,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle. “If there’s anywhere you can dream, it’s California.”

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