SACRAMENTO — By announcing that she'll seek to replace U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2016, Attorney General Kamala Harris has finally answered the “Will she run?” question. But her declaration has led to even more questions, most centered around the basic “What happens now?”

The answers are elusive given that the field has yet to take shape around Harris, who was the only publicly declared candidate as of Tuesday afternoon. On the Democratic side, hedge-fund billionaire Thomas Steyer said Tuesday that he will “decide soon” about running. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are also considering candidacies.

Interest from potential candidates in the Republican Party has been less intense, with Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, R-Oceanside, and two former state GOP chairmen, Tom Del Beccaro and Duf Sundheim, considering runs in a contest that would strongly favor a Democrat.