Is it too early to run for governor? Not in California. They’re already bunching up at the starting gate headed toward the June 2, 2026 primary. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis has a decent shot because of the job’s prominence. Gray Davis in 1998 and Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2018 were promoted to governor from the job. She also comes from a wealthy Sacramento construction family and will have an ample campaign warchest. Former Senate President pro tem Toni Atkins of San Diego has strong connections to the crucial public-employee unions and will be a contender. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa came up very short in his first run, but his championing of school choice sets him apart from many of his Democratic counterparts. Tony Thurmond has failed to achieve as superintendent of public instruction, but that hasn’t stopped him from making a bid for governor. Former Controller Betty Yee left office two years ago, as we noted earlier this year, with the state’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports for 2020-21 and 2021-22 late and unfinished. That delinquency left state legislators without crucial accounting figures when the state most needed them during a time of wild gyrations between surpluses and deficits. It’s on that record that she’s chosen to run. But there are still some heavy hitters out there. The most apparent of them is none other than Vice President Kamala Harris. Yes, she came up short for the White House, but she beat Donald Trump in the Golden State 58% to 38% and won statewide elections for state attorney general and U.S. senator. A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll released Nov. 13 found 72% of Democrats would be somewhat likely or very likely to consider her for governor and 46% of total registered voters saying the same. In such a crowded field, a Harris run would likely clear out much of the opposition. But there are still others waiting in the wings. Attorney General Rob Bonta is well-situated for a promotion. Earl Warren, Pat Brown, Jerry Brown and George Deukmejian all used the AG’s job to become governor. Bonta is joining Newsom in their campaign to battle President-elect Donald Trump’s policies on such issues as immigration and abortion. We actually endorsed Bonta’s 2022 election to AG because of his fairly moderate approach to the job. But since then, he has gone too far left, especially with biased ballot titles and summaries for some initiatives. Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine leaves office in January, having opted to pursue a Senate seat instead of seeking re-election to the House. She bombed horribly in her run for Senate, netting just 15% of the vote, but she’s been an ambitious, populist progressive who is unlikely to stay out of politics. Then there’s Xavier Becerra, the current U.S. secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and a former state attorney general. We criticized him during his time as AG for his fealty to the police unions. There’s also Republican-turned-independent-turned-Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat real estate developer Rick Caruso, who lost his bid for mayor of Los Angeles to Karen Bass, 55% to 45%. Maybe he could do better as a candidate for governor. Maybe. While the main political drama in this race will be whether or not Harris decides to jump in, we hope that whoever emerges as the front-runner cares at least a little more than Newsom of doing the job of governor.