During her Thursday night appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Kamala Harris explained her decision to not run for California governor next year, and her plan to steer clear from politics for now.
“Listen, I am a devout public servant. I have spent my entire career in service of the people. I thought a lot about running for governor. I love my state, I love California,” the former vice president said. “Recently I made the decision that I just, for now, I don’t wanna go back in the system. I think it’s broken.”
Harris continued that while she “always believed that as fragile as our democracy is, our systems would be strong enough to defend our most fundamental principles, and I think right now that they’re not as strong as they need to be.”
On Wednesday, Harris announced that she would not be running for governor of California in 2026, though she did not address her plans for another presidential run, similar to her appearance on The Late Show. On Thursday, she further revealed she is releasing a new memoir, entitled 107 Days, that will track her 107-day presidential 2024 campaign.
“I don’t want to go back into the system,” she added. “I want to travel the country, I want to listen to people, I want to talk with people and I don’t want it to be transactional where I’m asking for their vote.”
In response to Harris, Colbert said, “To hear you say that it’s broken, to hear you say that our systems aren’t strong enough, is harrowing.”
“But it’s also evident, isn’t it?” Harris answered. “But it doesn’t mean we give up, that’s not my point. I am always going to be part of the fight.”