Congresswoman Katie Porter, who is not running for reelection in her purple Southern California district following her unsuccessful run for Senate, is hinting she would consider running for governor in 2026.

Porter commented via tweet on results from a new California public policy poll by USC and the Long Beach Center for Urban Politics and Policy at Cal State Long Beach, which found Porter ahead of other potential candidates — including current Attorney General Rob Bonta — by double digits. While the poll found nearly half of all likely voters were undecided about a still wide open 2026 race, 14% would support Porter, compared to just 3.5% for Bonta.

Republican state Senator Brian Dahle, who ran against Newsom previously, is polling at 5.3%.

"I’m grateful that Californians recognize we need fresh voices in our politics who are not afraid to call out nonsense, from Republicans or Democrats," Porter said in that tweet, referencing the poll. "Our next Governor needs to be laser focused on solving Californians’ biggest challenges, most of all cost of living."

Porter has not declared her candidacy for governor in 2026, but it could prove a logical next step. She has become a noted firebrand in the House, and had some strong support in the primary race to fill Dianne Feinstein's seat in the Senate, however Schiff's campaign war chest and endorsements proved too strong.

Porter's affluent Orange County district, which includes Irvine, Newport Beach, and parts of Laguna Hills, is historically conservative, but Democrats now have a voter registration edge there over Republicans. Still, the Republican in the race to fill Porter's seat, Scott Baugh, has recently had a three-point edge in polls over Democrat Dave Min.

Likely running against Porter for governor, should she actually decide to run, would be several Newsom allies, including Bonta, who has not announced a bid, and Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and Biden's Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who have said they're running.

Previously: Top image: Congresswoman Katie Porter speaks at the "Just Majority" Irvine Press Conference on May 28, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Demand Justice)