LOS ANGELES AP - After months of uncertainty, the race to become California's next governor started Thursday.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris' decision Wednesday to bypass the 2026 contest pushed the campaign into a new phase, lacking its biggest potential star and the presumptive early favorite. Harris' formal exit opens the door for additional candidates to venture in, while scrambling a crowded field with no dominant candidate.
Democrats remain favored to hold the seat now occupied by term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a state where Republicans have not won a statewide election in nearly two decades. Democrats hold a nearly 2-to-1 advantage over registered Republicans statewide.
"The starting gun just popped," said Democratic consultant Andrew Acosta, calling it the first truly wide-open governor's race in over a quarter-century. "The race is on."
Other Democrats work to position themselves