Rob Bonta delayed active campaigning by saying he would seek re-election if Kamala Harris entered the 2026 governor race. Harris opted out on July 30, removing the expectation she would run and producing a genuinely open contest. Bonta no longer needs to hold back and appears as the leading contender in a wide but weak field. The current candidate slate lacks a clear successor or defining achievements: Katie Porter lacks a signature accomplishment, Rick Caruso emphasizes criticism of the Los Angeles mayor, Toni Atkins is noted for historic officeholding, and Betty Yee lacks a standout achievement.
For many months, California Attorney General Rob Bonta laid low in the 2026 run for California governor. He did this by insisting he would run for re-election if Kamala Harris opted to make the run for governor, which was the general expectation for her until July 30, when she stunned the political world by opting out of the campaign. Bonta has no need for to lay low any longer, unless he sincerely doesn't want the job.
Instead, Harris has now cleared the field for what proves to be the most openly competitive run for California governor in generations. It's hard to remember a more open race in the modern era, when there always seems to have been an obvious successor waiting in the wings whenever a gubernatorial campaign came up. There is no such successor this time, though,
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