Several top Democrats running to be California's next governor are nudging former Vice President Kamala Harris to decide before her self-declared August deadline whether she will enter the race.

Harris, a former attorney general and U.S. senator for the state, recently said she'll decide in August. She was also her party's 2024 presidential nominee and would likely, considering her political resume, make her a top-tier candidate in one of the country's most liberal states. 

"The challenges facing California are too great for us to wait for a candidate who wants to come in late in the game," said candidate and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

Villaraigosa, who announced his gubernatorial campaign in July 2024, also appeared to argue that Harris entering the 2024 presidential general election so late cost their party the White House.

"You can’t run at the end of the rainbow," he said. "We saw a 100-day campaign. Look what that brought us."

Former Rep. Katie Porter and former U.S. Health and Human Services chief Xavier Becerra, two other Democrats running for governor, also indirectly criticized Harris by calling out politicians for not joining the race right away.

"No one should be waiting to lead. I think we need to make a case right now," Porter said. "There’s an incredible urgency on the ground that I think stretches across California and across the political spectrum."

Porter said that she would withdraw if Harris announced she would run for governor.

Becerra made a similar point: "This is not a time to sit on the sidelines."

Multiple polls indicated that Harris could become governor because of her popularity.

The Los Angeles Times reported last November that Harris has an advantage in the race, citing a poll by the University of California, Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies that showed that approximately 72% of Democrats would likely or somewhat likely to consider voting for Harris.