{"id":2399288,"date":"2025-02-05T13:50:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T18:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rob-bonta-pulls-name-from-governors-race-backs-harris-to-replace-newsom-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-05T13:51:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T18:51:00","slug":"rob-bonta-pulls-name-from-governors-race-backs-harris-to-replace-newsom-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rob-bonta-pulls-name-from-governors-race-backs-harris-to-replace-newsom-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Rob Bonta pulls name from governor\u2019s race, backs Harris to replace Newsom &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frob-bonta-pulls-name-from-governors-race-backs-harris-to-replace-newsom-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2399288&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced that he will not run to\u2062 replace Governor Gavin Newsom,who is nearing the end of his second term. Instead, Bonta expressed his support for\u200d former Vice President Kamala Harris as a \u200dpotential candidate for the governorship, \u200ddescribing her as a &#8220;great governor.&#8221; Despite speculation about his political ambitions, Bonta confirmed \u200dhe will seek a second term \u200cas attorney general, focusing on his current role and ongoing legal resistance to the Trump management&#8217;s policies.<\/p>\n<p>As the 2026 election approaches, other Democrats such as Lieutenant Governor\u200b Eleni Kounalakis and former Los angeles Mayor\u2063 Antonio Villaraigosa are also considering candidacies. Polls indicate that \u200dformer Representative Katie Porter could be a frontrunner if Harris does not enter the\u2062 race.However, a potential Harris candidacy would significantly impact the \u200cdynamics of the Democratic primary, leading analysts to believe it\u200c could clear the field for\u200c her, should she decide to run. Harris\u200c is expected to make her decision on running by late spring of 2025.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Rob Bonta pulls name from governor&rsquo;s race, backs Harris to replace Newsom<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1924204\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>During an interview outlining the next stage of his career, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">California<\/a> Attorney General Rob Bonta said he won&rsquo;t run to replace Democratic Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Gavin Newsom<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>After considering a run for months to continue climbing the ladder in California politics all the way to the top, Bonta said he isn&rsquo;t interested in getting into the high-profile contest. And even if he did want to go out and woo voters, he made it clear no Democrat would stand a chance in the contest if former Vice President Kamala Harris decides she wants to run. <\/p>\n<p>With Newsom&rsquo;s second and final term in office drawing to a close, a host of California Democrats, including Bonta and Harris, have been floated as his possible successor ahead of the 2026 election.<\/p>\n<p>During an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/02\/05\/california-governor-ag-newsom-00202528\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>Politico<\/em><\/a>, Bonta shut down speculation he wants to sit in the governor&rsquo;s mansion and announced he is seeking a second term as attorney general.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Instead, he declared Harris had his support to be the Golden State&rsquo;s next leader.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Kamala Harris would be a great governor,&rdquo; Bonta said of the former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-defector-emails-pipeline-to-obama-admin-seen-as-currency\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Defector Emails: &#039;Pipeline&#039; to Obama Admin Seen as &#039;Currency&#039;\">vice president<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3291932\/democrats-nudge-harris-toward-california-governor-race-as-she-looks-for-her-white-house-exit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">who has not yet given a firm indication<\/a> she will launch a gubernatorial campaign and is also rumored to be weighing another presidential run in 2028.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), left, talks with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, during the Assembly&rsquo;s Organizational Session in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. After taking their oath of office, the Assembly opened the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">special legislative session called<\/a> for by Newsom to introduce legislation to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-interest-in-big-tech-regulation-grows-on-both-sides\/\" title=\"Senate Interest in Big Tech Regulation Grows on Both Sides\">provide additional funds<\/a> to the California Department of Justice to deal with policy differences between the state and federal governments. (AP Photo\/Rich Pedroncelli)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;I would support her if she ran, I&rsquo;ve always supported her in everything she&rsquo;s done. She would be field-clearing,&rdquo; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-ag-barr-says-jan-6-committee-not-an-optical-mechanism-for-getting-at-the-truth\/\" title=\"Ex-AG Barr Says Jan 6 Committee &quot;Not an Optical Mechanism for Getting at the Truth&quot;\">attorney general continued<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Bonta&rsquo;s decision to remain attorney general comes as he has sparked national debate for leading California and the nation&rsquo;s legal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3296956\/california-democrats-harden-stance-defeat-delay-dilute-trump-agenda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">resistance<\/a> to President Donald Trump&rsquo;s White House.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this week, California lawmakers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3310142\/california-democrats-pass-50-million-trump-proofing-bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">approved a set of bills<\/a> giving Bonta $25 million to bring lawsuits against the Trump administration, with the move coming as he has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3255887\/california-attorney-general-resists-trump-deportation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">vowed to use the courts<\/a> to block the White House&rsquo;s policy of deporting illegal immigrants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Bonta&rsquo;s choice to continue to helm the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mi-lawmakers-just-made-it-easier-to-commit-election-fraud\/\" title=\"MI Lawmakers Simplify Process for Election Fraud\">attorney general&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s office affords Harris, once considered one of the Democratic Party&rsquo;s biggest stars, a chance to reclaim top-dog status after her bruising defeat to Trump during the 2024 presidential election.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Still, the race to govern the country&rsquo;s most populous state is far from set.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Democratic candidates who have already thrown their name in the ring to replace Newsom include Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Senate leader Toni Atkins, former state Controller Betty Yee, and state schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Without Harris in the race, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/california-playbook\/2024\/12\/11\/katie-porter-joins-the-2026-internal-poll-club-00193698\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">polling<\/a> shows former Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) has&nbsp;emerged as the early frontrunner, although the ex-lawmaker has yet to declare her gubernatorial ambitions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But Porter&rsquo;s early momentum would likely be squashed should Harris or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/xavier-becerra\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Xavier Becerra<\/a>, a former California attorney general who is reportedly eying the governor&rsquo;s seat after serving as secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration, enter the race.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris wave during a campaign event at the IBEW-NECA Joint Apprenticeship Training Center in San Leandro, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. (AP Photo\/Carolyn Kaster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Expressing a sentiment echoed by Kounalakis, Porter herself said in December that if Harris entered the race, it would entail seismic implications for Democratic contenders.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If Vice President Harris were to choose to run, I am certain that that would have a near field-clearing effect on the Democratic side,&rdquo;&nbsp; she mused during a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kwp36okXH8s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">UC Irvine panel interview<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Harris will likely announce a decision on the governor&rsquo;s race by late spring, a Democratic strategist told the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2024-12-10\/kamala-harris-run-for-california-governor-2026-candidates-democrats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>  Los Angeles Times<\/em><\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1924204\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1924204\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rob Bonta withdraws from governor&#8217;s race, endorses Harris<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2399291,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/harris.-gov.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[37666,40275,32438,49880,49879],"class_list":["post-2399288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-california-politics","tag-gubernatorial-race","tag-kamala-harris","tag-newsom-replacement","tag-rob-bonta"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/harris.-gov.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2399288"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399288\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2399293,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399288\/revisions\/2399293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2399291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2399288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2399288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2399288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}