Former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter is the latest politician joining the competitive 2026 race for California governor. All eyes are on former Vice President Kamala Harris.
The president-elect increased his vote share in 45 of 58 California counties in 2024. And Kamala Harris won 1.8 million fewer votes statewide than Joe Biden in 2020.
In part due to economic and border security concerns, Latinos in California appear to have moved toward Donald Trump. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re abandoning the Democratic Party.
The next political cycle begins with no clear frontrunners for California governor. There are at least a dozen potential candidates, plus one huge unknown factor: Vice President Kamala Harris’s career plans after losing her presidential bid.
Against a national red wave, Californians sent a top Trump nemesis to the US Senate, and favored Democrats in House and state races. But they also toughened criminal sentences and rejected more rent control.
CalMatters contributor Jim Newton reflects on his interactions with Kamala Harris over the years, and the qualities that helped her stand out during her time in political office in California.
Californians are heading east to knock on doors ahead of the 2024 election. Democrats in particular are sending busloads of volunteers to Arizona and Nevada.
Only one-third of the California GOP congressional delegation has pledged to accept the 2024 presidential election results. And only two incumbents in office in 2021 voted to certify President Joe Biden’s win over Donald Trump in the 2020 race.