What Kamala Harris’ book says about Newsom and what it might mean for 2028
In Kamala Harris s newly circulated book Days the former vice president lists the effusive reactions of numerous politicians to her phone calls seeking sponsorship for her presidential candidacy in the hours after President Joe Biden s withdrawal from the race Saddle up former President Barack Obama commented according to notes she made that day Oh my God I m so relieved Send me anywhere former President Bill Clinton revealed And Gov Gavin Newsom her old friend with whom she came up through San Francisco and California politics Hiking Will call back he declared in a text message He never did Harris wrote Maybe that subtle dig was as inconsequential as Newsom noted it was Her call came from an unknown number he stated reporters in San Francisco last week when advance copies of the book first came out and he texted Harris when he realized it was her Besides he endorsed her that very afternoon Something Harris didn t mention in the book published Tuesday But for two California Democrats who may both have their eye on the same political prize when the Democratic primaries for president roll around in could this be a slight indication of a burgeoning political and personal rivalry And if she is planning a third run for the White House has she turned on allies in her assessment of what went wrong in her campaign against Donald Trump last year blaming others at times for her loss This is a literary gas can that she s lit Sonoma State Political Science Professor David McCuan disclosed The book has become basically this kind of tell-all blow-up-the-bridge-behind-me How you square that with running for president is somewhat beyond me When it comes to her phone call to Newsom reading the tea leaves from a half a line in a -page book may be a bit hyperbolic But national polls already show them as the top two Democratic contenders With Newsom playing the role of chief antagonist to President Trump in his viral sardonic social media campaign and Harris leaving the door open for another presidential run McCuan and others believe that their responses are surely deliberate I don t think these are the types of people who do things without thinking through how they will be interpreted and the consequences Menlo College Political Science Professor Melissa Michelson stated It could all be for show right It could also be that behind the scenes they re still just as close as ever and this is all just meant for masses consumption Or it could be that there is indeed a growing rift between the two of them that is now maybe inadvertently at play Their careers overlapped in San Francisco in the early s when Newsom was mayor and Harris was district attorney Over the past two decades as Newsom rose to governor and Harris to U S senator vice president and presidential candidate they have shared voters donors and political consultants and frequently appeared at events looking like the best of friends Before Biden named Harris as his heir apparent last summer leaving Harris a truncated days to campaign Newsom was on the radar as a prospective candidate himself Could that missed phone call on the hiking trail too have been deliberate Newsom also narrated reporters he was busy trying to get more information of the Biden withdrawal when her call came in apparently at the same time he was hiking If you look at how the dance has gone they both have needed to lead McCuan noted But they both can t be in that place They have shared the same DNA but these political cousins are not going to be emerging bread at Thanksgiving But will they be sharing the same debate stage in Newsom will be termed out as governor by then and Harris has already stated she will not seek the governor s office as was widely assumed leaving both top Democrats wide open for another political chapter The intense scrutiny her book has received even before its official publishing date ostensibly speaks to the fact that a large number of people do see her still as a political figure with a future declared UC San Diego Political Science Professor Thad Kousser Although Harris has been recognized for her candor in the book she also has ruffled feathers with her comments for instance that Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro was too ambitious to be second in command and that running mate Tim Walz whom she praised was her second choice Her first choice she announced was former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg whom she considered too risky to choose believing voters wouldn t choose a ticket with a Black woman and a gay man She pulls no punches McCuan mentioned That s not exactly a recipe for building a gang or alliances moving forward Maybe none of it matters Maybe her book was a farewell to her ambitions for higher office But if not the idea of a Harris-Newsom face-off in could make for compelling politics Would a deeply divided nation stoked up on Trump s disparagement of all things California even consider giving a candidate from the Golden State another chance Their brand names are as big as anyone in democratic politics Kousser disclosed But they each have huge vulnerabilities and the great likelihood is that Democrats at the end of the day will steer far clear of having a Californian lead them
