SACRAMENTO, California — Kamala Harris is out, but the climate still isn’t in.
The former vice president’s decision Wednesday not to run for California governor in 2026 cracked open a splintered-yet-stagnant field, liberating Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), and others who would have struggled against Harris’ name ID and fundraising prowess.
Climate advocates see a wide-open lane — and no one taking it.
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“There’s no candidate right now who has kind of taken that space,” said Ken Alex, a former climate adviser to former Gov. Jerry Brown (D) and now the director of Project Climate at the University of California, Berkeley. “Yes, I’m worried, is the short answer.”
