Though she has not yet announced anything, there are strong rumors that former Vice President Kamala Harris may launch a campaign in 2026 to become California's next governor, replacing the term-limited current Gov. Gavin Newsom.

If Harris enters that gubernatorial race, it could prompt a deliberate blocking move by one of President Donald Trump's most loyal aides, Richard Grenell, who has suggested that he might launch a campaign of his own to be elected governor, according to Fresno area Fox affiliate KMPH.

Should Harris and possibly Grenell enter the gubernatorial ring next year, they will find that a crowded field of candidates is already there and waiting for the opportunity to be elected as the Golden State's next leader.

Grenell says he would run solely to oppose Harris

KMPH reported that Grenell, who currently serves as President Trump's Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions and held high-level positions in the first Trump administration, appeared on Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington D.C.

Asked at one point about the rumors that he was contemplating a California gubernatorial run in 2026, Grenell replied, "Honestly, it's not in my plan unless Kamala Harris runs for Governor."

"We already know who she is, we've spent hundreds of millions of dollars to define who Kamala Harris is," he added. "If she thinks that she's going to run for Governor of California, a Republican is going to win and I may not be able to resist trying to run against her."

Similar comments made last week

Those remarks from Grenell at CPAC were remarkably similar to what he had said just one week earlier during an event at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, according to Politico, when asked about California's governor race next year.

"If Kamala Harris runs for governor," he told reporters, "I believe that she has such baggage and hundreds of millions of dollars in educating the voters of how terrible she is, that it’s a new day in California, and that the Republican actually has a shot, and I wouldn’t say no."

The outlet noted that Grenell had taken all of the preliminary steps to mount a campaign to run against Gov. Newsom in 2021 but ultimately withdrew his candidacy one day before the filing deadline.

What California's gubernatorial race looks like

If former VP Harris, and subsequently Grenell, decide to throw their hats in the 2026 California gubernatorial ring, they will be far from alone, as more than half a dozen prominent Californians have already announced their candidacies, according to Los Angeles Fox affiliate KTTV.

On the Republican side, that includes pro-Trump Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and businessman Leo Zacky, while for Democrats, the crowded field includes former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former State Controller Betty Yee, and businessman Stephen Cloobeck.

San Diego ABC affiliate KGTV reported that polling suggests Harris would immediately dominate the field of Democratic candidates if she were to enter the race, drawing nearly 60% support from likely primary voters. It is unclear what, if any, impact Grenell might have on voters if he were to enter the race in opposition to Harris.

California is unique in that all candidates regardless of party will run in a June 2026 primary election, with the top two vote-getters moving on to face off against each other in the November 2026 general election.

"Right now, you have a large field of Democrats, and they could end up splitting much of the vote, which would allow a single Republican, perhaps, who was fairly strong to at least get into the general election," political analyst Steve Swatt told KGTV. "And then when, once that happens, I suppose anything could happen," though he didn't think any Republican candidate "would have much of a chance" to win California's governorship.