Mar 09, Kathmandu- Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost the presidential election to Donald Trump in November, has hinted that she will run for governor of California in 2026.

At a pre-Oscars party last week, a person asked Harris when she would decide whether to run for governor of California. According to Politico Online, Harris replied, "By the end of the summer." Politico cited two people who overheard the conversation between Harris and the person.

Current California Governor Gavin Newsom will not be eligible to run for a third term in 2026. Harris is therefore seriously considering running for office and has been calling her supporters, aides and confidants to tell them she will make a decision within the next few months, Politico reported.

Harris began her political career as the District Attorney of San Francisco, California. She was a U.S. senator from California when Joe Biden picked her as his vice presidential nominee in 2020.

If California were a separate country, it would have the world's fifth-largest economy. Harris's aides say it has long been her desire to be governor of such a large and wealthy state.

No black woman has ever been governor of a state in the United States. Harris, who made history by becoming the first female vice president of the United States, may be tempted by the opportunity to make another history.

If she runs for governor in 2026, she will not contest the presidential election two years later. She is also thought to have taken time to consider running for governor, as she will have to decide not to run in another presidential election.

But female candidates lost in the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections. So she may have considered not running in the presidential primary, assuming that Democratic Party activists would not field a female candidate again.

The Republican Party has yet to field a female presidential candidate. Both Democratic candidates lost to Donald Trump.

If Harris were to run in the Democratic primary for governor, many who were considering running for office would likely withdraw. That would make her a strong candidate in the party. If she wins the party's primary, she would almost certainly defeat the Republican candidate in California, where the Democrats have a strong hold.

Harris is now 60. Rather than leaving politics now, she may have considered becoming the governor of a large Democratic state and becoming the leader of her party, which she has been leading since Trump's victory.

On the other hand, current Governor Newsom, 57, is expected to run for president in 2028 as a Democratic candidate.