California’s 2026 governor’s race just got a major shake-up — and Democrats may be staring at a nightmare scenario. Vice President Kamala Harris has officially confirmed she will not run for governor once term-limited Democrat Gavin Newsom vacates his seat to chase the presidency. Without Harris to “clear the field,” the state’s political landscape is wide open, and a new poll shows two surprise frontrunners: progressive firebrand Katie Porter and former Fox News host Steve Hilton.
According to the latest Emerson College Poll, released Friday, Porter leads with 18 percent support, while Hilton comes in second with 12 percent. They are the only two candidates in double digits. The poll, conducted Aug. 4-5 among 1,000 registered California voters, comes just days after Harris bowed out.
Porter — a far-left former Democratic congresswoman and ally of Elizabeth Warren — is surging. She’s up six points since April’s poll, which had her at 12 percent. This is the same Katie Porter who, after losing the 2024 Senate jungle primary to Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey, blasted Schiff’s team for running what she called a race “rigged by billionaires.”
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