Could Kamala Harris Become CA's Next Governor? New Poll Shows Shift After Swalwell's Exit

SACRAMENTO, CA — Former Vice President Kamala Harris' prospects of becoming California's next governor are being put to the test, according to a new poll.

The poll's distribution comes on the heels of a sexual assault scandal that prompted now-former Rep. Eric Swalwell to drop out of the California governor's race on Saturday and resign from Congress amid bipartisan calls for his resignation. His announcement came after the start of a criminal investigation into the allegations.

The new text poll asked Californian voters if they would write in Harris on the ballot in November's race, along with several other questions about Harris.

It also asked voters if they would support her if Harris were to run a write-in campaign.

In California, a statement of write-in candidacy must be filed between April 6 and May 19 to be eligible for November's gubernatorial election.

Polls had Swalwell leading among his Democratic opponents in the race before the allegations of sexual assault surfaced last week. Former Congresswoman Katie Porter and billionaire Tom Steyer have been the other leading Democrats. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, have been almost tied for the lead among Republicans in most polls.

A new poll from SurveyUSA released on Tuesday shows Steyer leading among Democrats with 21 percent of likely voters and Hilton for Republicans with 18 percent.

Harris has not announced she is considering a run governor. On Friday, the former Democratic nominee for president said she is thinking about running for president again after losing the 2024 presidential election.