Californians have already been living under one of the worst governors in the country for five years now—but what if an even worse one took over the reins when Gavin Newsom’s reign thankfully comes to an end in 2027?  

Politico took a look at the 2026 race to succeed him and profiled many of the names who are expected to run, but it wasn’t until deep into the piece that they dropped this little detail:

Vice President Kamala Harris has joked to friends that she may return to California to run for governor if Democrats lose the White House this fall, taking a page from Richard Nixon, two people familiar with her remarks said.

“That did not happen,” Harris spokesperson Kirsten Allen told POLITICO in response. “This November, the vice president will be preparing to be inaugurated for the second term of the Biden-Harris administration.”

Nooooooo! Those are but two short paragraphs, yet as a Golden State resident, they strike fear in my heart. Haven’t we been through enough?

Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) agrees:

Politico reports Kamala Harris has told friends she will return to California to run for Governor if Biden loses. This might be the only possible way our state’s political leadership could get worse.

— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) May 16, 2024

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about it Thursday by, you guessed it, Fox News' Peter Doocy, because he's the only White House reporter who seems to actually press her on things. She replied with her usual gobbledygook non-answer, and ran off a list of her non-accomplishments:

“Have you heard … that Vice President Harris is telling friends that she may go back to California and run for governor if the election does not go her way?” Doocy asked during Thursday’s briefing.

“That is news to me. I would say this, the vice president has been a great partner to this president. He is appreciative of all the work she has done. It is impressive what she has been able to do on these tours she has done on reproductive rights, on gun violence, to fight gun violence across the country, prevention obviously and leading in the first historic office coming out of the White House. She has been an amazing partner and the president appreciates her leadership and that’s all I’ll say to that.”

 Watch:

DOOCY: "Have you heard that VP Harris is telling friends that she may go back to California and run for governor if the election does not go her way?"

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: "It's impressive what she has been able to do." pic.twitter.com/z8ufTkYAEs

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 16, 2024

If the report is true, it shows one thing: Biden and Co. are seeing the writing on the wall and realizing that they may be out of a job come January 2025. Preparing for the future might end up being the one smart thing Kamala did as vice president. 

She may also be playing 4-D chess: as radio host John Phillips noted on KABC-790 Los Angeles, Kamala probably would have known this "leak" was coming and might have even approved it. Perhaps it's a move to scare off her potential competitors for the governorship while also alerting big donors not to get behind anyone just yet.

You can understand the dread Californians feel when hearing about this, though; we've seen Gavin Newsom run the state into the ground with the homelessness epidemic, constant crime, a huge budget deficit, massive taxation, and his laser-like focus on divisive woke issues. 

Harris would bring more of the same—but with even less competence.

@CAgovernor is always bragging about his "achievements."

He'd like you to forget all about the failures like this: pic.twitter.com/o4UkNiJeCm

— Bob Hoge (@Bob_Hoge_CA) May 16, 2024

More Kamala:

Kamala Harris' 2019 Memoir Earned Her Just $234 in Royalties, Records Show

Incredibly Cringeworthy Kamala Moment As She Accidentally Skewers the Left's Narrative on Women