Former NBC News host Chuck Todd advises Kamala Harris not to run for California governor in 2026

Political analyst and former NBC News host of "Meet the Press," Chuck Todd, suggested on March 30 that former 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris should not run for California governor in 2026 because he "just don’t see the path for her."

Todd told the News Conference host Conan Nolan that Harris's status as a long-time California politician who is well-known in her state could work against her if she were to run for the governorship because a gubernatorial election is "the one place where voters won’t always vote their jersey color," adding that he thinks "voters are going to be looking for somebody from the outside."

“So I just don’t see the path for her," he said, noting that only an outsider Democrat could promote the idea of change. "I think it’s a tough place for her to be. If I were advising her, I’d tell her: go throw yourself into the rebuild of LA and get involved with the LA Olympic Committee. Be above politics for a couple of years and come back maybe in 2030 or 2032.”

According to Politico's report from March 7, Harris told a pre-Oscars party attendee that she would decide by the end of the summer whether she would run for the governorship. Multiple news outlets also wrote about Harris potentially running for the governorship.

The Democrats who already decided to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom were former President pro tempore of the California Senate Toni Atkins, Lieutenant Governor of California Eleni Kounalakis, former Rep. Katie Porter and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, among others.

Kounalakis and Porter stated they would withdraw if Harris decided to run.

The only well-known Republican who announced he would run for governor was Trump-supporting Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

Last December, political analyst Mark Halperin argued that it would be hard for Harris since she is not the most popular candidate in California and doesn't like to make difficult choices under pressure, which is what a state governor would need to do.

"I think she might try, but I think she’d be surprised at how tough it is. And finally, I’ll say I’m not sure she wants to be governor of California,” he said. “It’s not a great job right now, and so why she’d run and risk losing, and then if she did win, get the job — I’m not really sure.”

Despite Halperin's claims that Harris is not as popular as she needs to be to win the election, many Democrats in California beg to disagree. 

The Los Angeles Times reported last November that Harris has an advantage in the race, citing the poll from the University of California, Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, that indicated that approximately 72% of Democrats would likely or somewhat likely to consider voting for Harris.

Last November's poll by Puck News/Echelon Insights also showed that 41% of likely Democratic voters would vote for Harris in the 2028 presidential election.