In just about 100 days, the American voters will go to their polling stations and make their choices for President.
In the wake of Biden’s removing himself from the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to be officially named the new candidate, there was speculation that California Gov. Gavin Newsom might be a potential candidate.
However, like many other potential Democratic presidential aspirants, I suspect Newsom would prefer to sit this out rather than face the juggernaut of post-assassination-attempt Donald Trump and his running mate, the magical JD Vance.
Newsom has now removed all speculation and has officially endorsed Harris.
With nearly 4,000 delegates up for grabs during the Democratic National Convention this August, it’s unknown who exactly will try to replace President Joe Biden on the ticket.Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., tells “NewsNation Prime” that Biden’s endorsement of his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, has “slammed the door” for other Democratic hopefuls like California Gov. Gavin Newsom.Newsom has already endorsed Harris, calling her “tough,” “fearless” and “tenacious” in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.“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,” the post read in part.
There is some good news for those worried about a Harris-Newsom ticked. My new favorite amendment is the 12th.
Newsom had been named as a potential Democratic nominee or running mate, along with Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.There’s just one problem for a potential Vice President Newsom: the 12th Amendment.The amendment outlines how presidential electors in the Electoral College cast ballots for the presidential ticket.It states’ electors “vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves.”While Harris lives at the vice president’s residency at Washington, D.C.’s Naval Observatory, she maintains official residency and is registered to vote in California.That means a ticket with two California residents would essentially void the state’s 54 electoral votes, according to legal experts.
I am grateful the nation will be spared from Newsom’s bureaucratic buffoonery—at least for now.
But 100 days is still an eternity in American politics….and the Democratic Party’s convention is weeks away. And there are those on the Democratic side still dreaming of someone other than Harris at the top of the ticket.
A top Democratic pollster is circling a polling memo addressed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom arguing he’s in strong position to contend for the presidential nomination.The memo, by former Bernie Sanders pollster Ben Tulchin, compares Newsom with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. A source close to Newsom said it was not sanctioned by the governor, who has said several times that he backs Harris, and that she was best positioned should Biden not run.Tulchin’s memo that analyzes public surveys showed Newsom and Harris both behind former President Donald Trump by 2 percentage points and Whitmer trailing by 4 points….“While the future remains unpredictable and there may not be an opportunity for [Newsom] to run this election, nevertheless we thought it would be helpful if you had relevant data along with key talking points to be able to make the case that Newsom can win should such an opportunity present itself,” Tulchin wrote.The memo also states that Newsom has better net favorability ratings and lower negatives than Biden and Harris.
I suspect that the DNC will not be the smooth and easy coronation of Harris that its organizers are hoping for.
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