For months, candidates within the race to change into California’s subsequent governor had waited for a pivotal query to be settled: Will former Vice President Kamala Harris run or not?
With Harris’ announcement this week that she’s out, a brand new query arose: Who’s the front-runner now?
Due to Harris’ star energy, the reply is way from easy. For months, different candidates noticed their marketing campaign planning and fundraising undercut by the likelihood she would run, which means the race bought a giant reset seconds after Harris made her announcement Wednesday.
Some political observers give the nod to former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, who seems to have a small leg up over her opponents.
Porter was the one Democrat to obtain double-digit help in a number of polls when Harris was not included within the area.
A prodigious fundraiser whereas she was in Congress representing an Orange County district, Porter reported a powerful infusion of money within the months after launching her marketing campaign in March, and mentioned she raised $250,000 within the 36 hours after Harris’ announcement.
Katie Porter, a lawyer who served as a U.S. consultant from California from 2019 to 2025, speaks on the Ladies’s Caucus on the California Democratic Get together Conference on the Anaheim Hilton and Conference Heart in Could.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Instances)
“The keenness we’re seeing from donors at each stage reveals that Californians know the way essential this race is,” Porter mentioned in an electronic mail blast.
Different candidates — together with Xavier Becerra, U.S. Secretary of Well being and Human Companies within the Biden administration and a former California lawyer common — have additionally tried to claim that, with Harris out, they’re transferring up.
“BECERRA CAMPAIGN BUILDING MOMENTUM IN ‘WIDE OPEN’ RACE,” learn the topic line of an electronic mail despatched Friday by the Becerra marketing campaign, saying he’s “well-positioned to unite a broad swath of voters round his plans to make well being care and housing inexpensive and extra accessible.”
Xavier Becerra, lawyer and former United States secretary of Well being and Human Companies, speaks on the labor caucus on the California Democratic Get together Conference on the Anaheim Hilton and Conference Heart in Could.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Instances)
Exterior observers, nonetheless, mentioned that not one of the candidates stand out from the pack in the meanwhile.
“That these remaining candidates are jockeying for bragging rights about who would be the front-runner — it’s to be anticipated, nevertheless it’s ludicrous,” mentioned Garry South, a veteran Democratic strategist who has labored on plenty of previous gubernatorial campaigns, together with for former Gov. Grey Davis.
“With Harris opting out, there’ll doubtless be no apparent front-runner among the many the rest of the present area for fairly a while,” South mentioned. “None of those candidates begin out with statewide identify recognition.”
With such a wide-open area, elements similar to endorsements and communication methods might be necessary to look at, consultants mentioned. So will the candidates’ potential to lift cash and use it to broaden their attraction.
“I might begin spending cash on social media, on tv promoting, on each single platform I may discover to construct up my identify ID,” South mentioned, however “none of them manage to pay for to try this in the meanwhile.”
Expertise and endorsements
With Harris out, will she again another person?
“Clearly if she did endorse, that might be a giant plus” for whichever candidate she rallied behind, mentioned John Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna Faculty.
Harris has lengthy relationships with a number of of the candidates within the race. A supply conversant in her pondering informed The Instances after Harris bowed out that she was nonetheless contemplating whether or not and the way to method the governor’s race.
Different endorsements may have an effect on the race as nicely. Hours after Harris introduced her resolution, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), the influential former Home Speaker, appeared on CNN to endorse Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, whom she has recognized for years.
“We’ve many nice candidates, one particularly Eleni Tsakopoulos, whom I help,” Pelosi mentioned, referring to Kounalakis by her maiden identify.
Eleni Kounalakis, lieutenant governor of California, speaks on the Ladies’s Caucus on the California Democratic Get together Conference on the Anaheim Hilton and Conference Heart in Could.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Instances)
Kounalakis’ father, the rich developer Angelo Tsakopoulos, helped bankroll an unbiased expenditure committee supporting his daughter’s 2018 marketing campaign for lieutenant governor. Political observers are watching to see if he dumps cash into the same effort backing her gubernatorial marketing campaign.
Pitney mentioned Pelosi’s opinion “would carry much more weight” if she had been nonetheless speaker. He mentioned it “isn’t essentially going to sway a big chunk of the citizens,” however may very well be necessary if it sways Bay Space donors.
A former GOP legislative aide and nationwide celebration staffer who renounced his membership within the Republican Get together the night time Trump was elected in 2016, Pitney mentioned that endorsements are removed from a figuring out think about as we speak’s political panorama.
“I hesitate to rule anyone out, as a result of fairly often candidates appear to come back out of nowhere — like Mamdani in New York Metropolis,” he mentioned, referring to the sudden rise and gorgeous upset main win of 33-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani within the New York mayoral race.
Pitney added that have in authorities and administrative management additionally issues, however may additionally minimize towards candidates at a time when many citizens are pissed off and wish one thing new.
Antonio Villaraigosa speaks to the Latino Caucus on the Calififornia Democratic Conference on the Anaheim Conference Heart in Could.
(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Instances)
For instance, Antonio Villaraigosa, the previous state Meeting speaker and L.A. mayor who’s in his 70s, “clearly has an extended historical past, however that lengthy historical past is each a bonus and an obstacle,” Pitney mentioned.
Villaraigosa has mentioned his marketing campaign is “in regards to the future.” However voters “could not regard him as a contemporary face,” Pitney mentioned.
Title recognition and cash
None of the present candidates for governor have the identical profile as Harris. In actual fact, they’re broadly unknown to very large swaths of the citizens.
Meaning they’ve their work minimize out for them, Pitney and South mentioned — particularly when it comes to fundraising.
South mentioned that there “isn’t any query that the Democratic donor base has mainly been sitting on their haunches ready to see what Harris goes to do.”
However, he mentioned, he hasn’t seen any signal but that donors have picked a favourite candidate now that she’s out, both — which is an issue for candidates with little or no identify recognition.
“None of those candidates within the remaining area with Harris out manage to pay for within the financial institution to run a statewide marketing campaign for governor,” he mentioned.
South mentioned that would change if Kounalakis will get one other main infusion of money from her father and as soon as once more faucets her private wealth.
On the similar time, there may be a “large blowback” from that kind of splashy household spending, South mentioned, particularly if Kounalakis’ opponents pounced on it as distasteful.
“We’ve not tended on this state to elect moneyed individuals who attempt to purchase the governor’s race,” he mentioned.
South mentioned he’s watching to see if huge Bay Space donors resolve to again Porter “due to her profile as a progressive.”
Los Angeles developer and 2022 mayoral candidate Rick Caruso “may very well be a drive” if he had been to enter the race, Pitney mentioned, as a result of “he has prominence in Southern California and in addition has some huge cash.”
Fundraising studies
The latest fundraising studies, which had been due Thursday night time, shine a light-weight on candidates’ coffers — however solely by way of the tip of June, nicely earlier than Harris dropped out.
The Democrats who wouldn’t have the potential to self-fund their campaigns reported having hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in money available as of June 30, together with some who transferred cash from prior marketing campaign committees to their gubernatorial accounts.
Former legislative chief Toni Atkins reported having $4.3 million within the marketing campaign, whereas elevating $648,000 and spending $549,000 within the first six months of this yr.
Gubernatorial candidate Toni Atkins speaks to supporters on the California Democratic Conference on the Anaheim Conference Heart in Could.
(Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Instances)
Villaraigosa raised $1.1 million and spent $550,000 this yr, however reported $3.3 million money available based mostly on fundraising he did final yr.
Becerra had $2.1 million within the financial institution after elevating $2.5 million and spending $449,000 within the first six months of the yr.
For the document:
11:39 a.m. Aug. 3, 2025An earlier model of this text mentioned former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter raised $2.5 million, spent $449,000 since launching her marketing campaign in March, and has $2.1 million within the financial institution. She raised $3 million, spent $1.2 million and had $2 million money available as of June 30.
Porter reported elevating $3 million and spending $1.2 million since asserting she was operating for governor in March. She mentioned she had $2 million within the financial institution.
In contrast to the opposite candidates, Porter’s marketing campaign revealed her fundraising as a result of her submitting on the state disclosure web site didn’t present any greenback figures.
Spokesman Nathan Click on mentioned her variety of small-dollar donors crashed the state’s system, and that that they had been working with state officers to get the paperwork displayed on the secretary of state’s web site all day Friday. He mentioned most of Porter’s 34,000 donors contributed lower than $200 every.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco reported elevating $1.6 million and spending $609,000 this yr, leaving him with $1 million within the financial institution.
A number of candidates reported mediocre fundraising numbers, however have private wealth they’ll draw on.
Kounalakis raised simply over $100,000 and spent almost thrice as a lot throughout the first half of this yr. She has greater than $4.6 million available and hundreds of thousands extra in her lieutenant governor marketing campaign account, though a few of that cash can’t be transferred due to marketing campaign finance guidelines.
Businessman Stephen J. Cloobeck, a Los Angeles Democrat, raised about $160,000 and spent $1.5 million — together with greater than $1 million on consultants. He had about $729,000 available on the finish of the interval. He additionally mentioned he made a $10-million contribution Friday that he mentioned “turbocharged” his marketing campaign.
Philanthropist and businessman Stephen Cloobeck, proper, takes a photograph with a supporter after talking about his candidacy for California governor throughout the labor caucus on the California Democratic Get together Conference on the Anaheim Hilton and Conference Heart in Could.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Instances)
“Considered one of my many benefits is that I’m not a politician and I’m not compromised,” Cloobeck mentioned.
Former Fox Information host Steve Hilton, a Republican candidate, raised about $1.5 million, of which $200,000 was a private mortgage. Hilton spent about $1 million and has rather less than $800,000 within the financial institution.
On the lowest finish of the fundraising had been former state controller Betty Yee, who raised virtually $238,000 and spent $255,000, with $637,000 available; and state faculties Supt. Tony Thurmond, who raised about $70,000, spent about $180,000 and had virtually $560,000 available.
Each Yee and Thurmond informed The Instances final month that fundraising had slowed whereas Democratic donors waited on Harris to decide.
