California Lawyer Common Rob Bonta received’t run for governor, ending months of hypothesis about him eyeing the crowded 2026 contest.
As a substitute, the Democrat will search reelection as legal professional basic and again former Vice President Kamala Harris if she jumps into the fray to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom after his remaining time period ends. Aides say Harris is weighing her choices after returning dwelling to Los Angeles.
“Kamala Harris could be a fantastic governor,” Bonta informed POLITICO, noting he hasn’t spoken instantly with Harris about it. “I’d assist her if she ran, I’ve at all times supported her in every little thing she’s accomplished. She could be field-clearing.”
The previous state lawmaker mentioned he was critically contemplating a run final 12 months however modified his thoughts after Republican President Donald Trump defeated Harris. Even earlier than then, different prime contenders — like former Rep. Katie Porter, who final March misplaced her bid for California Senate — have been already making strikes to run, complicating his path.
However Bonta mentioned he feels a calling to steer California’s authorized protection because the state faces off with Trump over a flurry of government orders on immigration, gender, local weather change and extra.
Trump’s return to energy immediately elevated Bonta’s place as AG for the nation’s largest state. Within the two-plus weeks because the inauguration, he has embraced his role as the face of California’s legal resistance to the president’s insurance policies — as Newsom and different prime Democrats take a extra measured strategy in an effort to enhance relations with the bombastic commander-in-chief.
“It’s necessary to at all times assess the second that you simply’re in,” Bonta mentioned. “The political world modifications in seconds, in a single day at occasions.”
His choice to not run for the state’s prime workplace reshapes the governor’s race.
Among the many Democrats already within the crowded contest: Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Senate chief Toni Atkins, former state Controller Betty Yee and state colleges Superintendent Tony Thurmond. However the subject may change instantly if Harris, Porter or former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra — Bonta’s predecessor — enter the fray.
The chatter is rising round Porter, particularly. In latest weeks, her camp has touted inside polling that discovered her in a commanding place. She’s additionally traveled to Sacramento for conferences with lawmakers and different powerbrokers. And her PAC stoked hypothesis with a playful electronic mail to donors. The topic line: “2026 begins now.”
Bonta, a progressive with sturdy ties to labor unions, shares shut allies and advisers with Porter. His choice to take a cross may assist her acquire traction with labor and the get together’s progressive base.
His announcement additionally comes as he’s confronted scrutiny over his marketing campaign contributions. The AG final 12 months returned — or donated — greater than $160,00 in contributions after Playbook raised questions concerning the sources of the funds and his work as AG. The San Francisco Chronicle reported last week that Bonta accepted $16,200 in contributions from a Southern California on line casino whereas it was underneath investigation by his workplace.
Dan Newman, a senior adviser to Bonta’s reelection marketing campaign, mentioned the AG’s choice about 2026 was unrelated to these studies. Newman informed Playbook that the “entire dialog” has been about Bonta’s obligations as AG and the way it’s “change into exponentially greater and extra necessary” throughout Trump’s second time period.
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