Kamala Harris has announced her plans following her decision not to pursue the role of governor of California.
The former vice president, who served as a U.S. Senator for California from 2017 to 2021 and was the state’s attorney general for over five years, made it clear she will not seek the governorship.
Many constituents anticipated that Harris might enter the gubernatorial race after her defeat to Donald Trump in the presidential election last year.
However, during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Harris discussed her new book, “107 Days,” and mentioned she is seemingly stepping back from politics for the time being.
Colbert highlighted that Harris had led in early political polls and questioned her decision not to run for governor of California.
He inquired, “Why are you sitting this out? Are you saving yourself for a different office?”
As Harris responded with a “no,” the audience erupted in applause and cheers of ‘yes’.
“It’s perhaps, is more basic than that, I am a devout public servant,” Harris explained. “I have spent my entire career in service of the people.”
She admitted she had given ‘a lot of thought’ to running for governor but ultimately decided it was time for a pause—and for a compelling reason.
“Recently, I made the decision, at least for now, I don’t want to go back in the system, I think it’s broken,” she concluded.
She emphasized her view that America’s political system and foundational democratic principles ‘are not as robust as they should be’.
Instead, she plans to spend her break traveling across the country, engaging with citizens, and, importantly, listening to their concerns. She emphasized that she does not want to seem ‘transactional’ when requesting votes.
“At this time, I will continue serving and leading outside of elected office,” Harris had announced earlier.
“I’m eager to reconnect with the American people, support Democratic candidates nationwide who are committed to bold leadership, and share more about my next steps in the months to come,” she added.
Following her significant loss to Trump, Harris seems to have retreated somewhat, though more details have emerged regarding the events following former President Joe Biden stepping aside for her to run for leadership.
Biden withdrew from the race by late July last year, just months before the critical general election.
This gave Harris only a few weeks to mount her campaign.
During the election, Trump received over 77 million votes compared to Harris’ 75 million.
On January 20, Trump returned to the White House to begin his second term as the 47th President of the United States after being formally inaugurated.