SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Democratic candidates for California governor likely breathed sighs of relief Wednesday when former vice president Kamala Harris announced she would not enter the race next year.

After weighing the decision for much of the year, Harris said she plans to focus on “listening to the American people (and) helping elect Democrats across the nation who will fight fearlessly.” She promised to share more about her plans in the coming months.

With Harris — along with her near-universal name ID and huge fundraising network — out of the picture, the gubernatorial campaign can begin in earnest for other candidates.

Polls thus far have shown former Rep. Katie Porter as the Democrat with the next-highest level of support after Harris. The former Orange County congresswoman said in a fundraising email that Harris’ decision “means we’re the clear frontrunner in the race.”

Porter pointed to recent polls showing Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, garnering the most support when Harris was not included. In one survey, 27% of respondents said they would vote for Hilton compared to 24% who picked Porter. The largest slice of likely voters, 29%, were undecided.

“No BS, this announcement shifts the dynamics of our race, and the stakes just got a whole lot higher,” Porter wrote in a note to supporters that was sandwiched between links to donate.

Hilton celebrated Harris’ decision as “great news for Californians.”

“We’ve seen her track record at every level of government, and the last thing this state needs is another useless machine politician making things even worse,” he wrote in a statement. “After 15 years of one-party Democrat rule, everyone can see it’s time for change in California, and time for some political balance. So honestly, it doesn’t matter who the Democrats put up as their candidate — I’m confident that next year, California will vote for change.”

Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco, another GOP candidate, echoed that, calling Harris’ move to stay out of the race “the first right decision in a career full of wrong ones.”

“Californians are tired of living in an unsafe state they cannot afford, and Kamala seems to understand that the status quo is impossible to defend,” Bianco said, adding that his campaign is “grounded in public safety, common sense, and accountability.”

Other Democrats running for governor praised Harris while underlining their own plans to tackle the state’s affordability crisis and other issues.

“From day one, this campaign has been about California’s future — tackling rising costs, defending our freedoms, and standing up for communities too often left behind. Vice President Harris has made her decision, and I thank her for her decades of service to our state and country,” said Toni Atkins, a former leader of both the state Senate and Assembly. She added: “The mission hasn’t changed. This is a campaign built to lead, built to win, and built to fight for every Californian, in every zip code.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa praised Harris and said her decision not to run “reflects her continued commitment to serving at the highest levels of government.”

“We face critical challenges in California — and we need a proven problem solver to tackle our affordability crisis. That’s why I’m running for governor,” he said.

Xavier Becerra, who succeeded Harris as state attorney general and worked with her in the Biden administration, praised the former VP as a “trailblazing leader” and touted their “shared record” on efforts to expand health care access and lower prescription drug costs.

“Vice President Harris’s decision not to run reshapes this race for Governor, but not the stakes,” Becerra said. “California needs a Governor who will treat the cost of living crisis like the emergency it is, and who will stand up to the chaos and corruption of the Trump White House. The cost of gas, groceries, health care, and housing is too high. Until we solve this, we are denying too many people the promise of the American Dream — the Dream my immigrant parents were able to achieve.”

Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, a close friend of Harris who was expected to run for a different position if the former vice president ran for governor, said Harris’ leadership “has changed lives, uplifted communities, and made California and our nation stronger. I look forward to what she’ll do next and will continue to cheer her on every step of the way.”

“From the beginning, I’ve been clear: I’m running for governor because I believe in California — in the people who power it, the values that guide it, and the promise it holds for every single person who calls this state home,” Kounalakis said.

Betty Yee, a former state Controller and state Democratic Party vice chair, did not even mention Harris in a statement Wednesday.

“As the first candidate to publicly state that I’m in this governor’s race no matter what, I’ll reiterate: I’m in this race no matter what - the stakes are simply too high and the status quo is failing too many people,” Yee said. “Californians are being priced out of the state they love and they need a candidate focused on delivering real solutions instead of generating flashy headlines. ”

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