California Gov. Gavin Newsom may have ended any speculation that he would seek the Democratic presidential nomination this week after President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, but he hasn’t yet entirely quieted rumblings that he is a contender as Kamala Harris’ 2024 running mate.
Biden endorsed Vice President and former California Sen. Kamala Harris as the party’s Democratic nominee for president Sunday, launching a fervent process to find and vet Harris’ vice president before the Democratic National Convention mid-August.
Yet unlike many of the other governors, congressmembers and Democratic figures named as possible vice-presidential picks, a Harris-Newsom ticket would need to clear a handful of legal hurdles and thorny strategic obstacles that election experts and Democratic strategists say makes him an unlikely pick – if not impossible.
The California governor, who is 56, has indeed become one of the most prominent Democratic figures over the last few years. Currently in his second term as governor of the nation’s most populous and prosperous state, Newsom’s reputation extends far beyond Sacramento. It’s widely understood that the governor is eyeing a 2028 presidential bid.
Newsom threw his support behind Harris Sunday in a statement on the social media platform X.
“Tough. Fearless. Tenacious. With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President, Kamala Harris,” he said.
Newsom has been one of the most vocal supporters of Biden and pushed back against calls from members of his own party for him to step aside in the 2024 election. In the hours before and after Biden’s disastrous June 27 debate performance against former President Donald Trump, Newsom lorded over the spin-room, singing Biden’s praises to members of the media. His progressive policies and penchant for challenging Republican talking points have made him a boogeyman of sorts to the GOP, and a national leader among the Democratic party.
