Special Presidential Envoy Ric Grenell Confirms He Is Still Looking Into A Possible 2026 Run For Governor

Special Presidential Envoy, former Director of National Security, and former Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell confirmed Thursday that while he has talked to President Donald Trump this week about running for Governor in 2026, he has yet to make a decision on the matter.

“I would say that this is zero confidence right now in Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass from Democrats,” said Grenell in a Politico interview. “So do we have faith as riots are unfolding in the federal government more than the local government? You bet we do.

“So when Donald Trump decided to send in send in law enforcement, and send in the military and send in the National Guard, there are a lot of Democrats in California who said “Thank God”, because Karen Bass isn’t cut out to be our leader.

“And I talked to the President about this yesterday. I want to see if Kamala runs. If Kamala runs, I think, there’s a whole bunch of Republicans who are going to have to take a look at it, not just me. It’s going to have an influence on my decision. Here’s the thing. If she runs, it’s going to make me have to take a look at it. Right now, I’m not running.”

For over a year, candidates for the 2026 Gubernatorial election have trickled in. On the Democratic side, major candidates include Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, former Congresswoman Katie Porter,  State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), Former State Controller Betty Yee, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. For the GOP, the list of major candidates is significantly smaller, with Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Director of Strategy for then-British Prime Minister David Cameron and former Fox News host Steve Hilton leading the Republican pack.

And then there are the speculative candidates, or those that previously announced interest. Front and foremost is former Vice President Kamala Harris, who has said that she will decide if she is running by the end of the summer. Others include Developer and 2022 Los Angeles Mayoral candidate Rick Caruso, former State Senator and 2022 Gubernatorial candidate Brian Dahle, former Olympian and 2021 Gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner, Actor and Chairman of the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils (NFGFC) Jake Steinfeld, and Grenell.

A possible Grenell run

In terms of political experience, Grenell is the biggest name remaining amongst speculative candidates. While he is currently President Trump’s Special Presidential Envoy, he has previously held the positions of Director of National Intelligence and Ambassador to Germany. Ever since he announced his candidature in February, he has maintained that a Republican would have a shot at winning in California in 2026. This view puts him in line with most political strategists, who have said that 2026 presents the best chance for a Republican Governor to win an election in California since 2006, when then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger won reelection.

“That is a hot topic. I’ll make a little news, depends on if Kamala Harris runs,” said Grenell in February. “If Kamala Harris runs for governor, I believe that she has such baggage and hundreds of millions of dollars in educating the voters of how terrible she is, that it’s a new day in California, and that the Republican actually has a shot. And I wouldn’t say no.”

While he has generally been more quiet about a possible run in recent months, Grenell revealed on Thursday that not only was he still thinking about running for Governor, he spoke to President Trump about a potential run for Governor this week.

For now, Grenell is still only a possible candidate, not saying no and not saying yes. But, with Harris still looming over the race with her indecision, he is keeping his options open.