What California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said about a possible presidential bid
On Sunday, Newsom endorsed VP Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee
President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he will no longer continue his 2024 reelection bid thanked Vice President Kamala Harris for being “an exceptional partner.”
He then endorsed her as his successor.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made,” Biden said. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Biden said he would speak to the nation in detail next week. Democrats are set to gather in Chicago to pick who will run against Republican former President Donald Trump starting on Aug. 19.
(Previous political coverage in video above: California Gov. Newsom speaks about wildfire season, answers question about Biden campaign.)
Some have mentioned California Gov. Gavin Newsom as a possible choice for president, though Newsom has said in the past he would not run against Harris.
Newsom on Sunday called Biden an “extraordinary, history-making president — a leader who has fought hard for working people and delivered astonishing results for all Americans. He will go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless presidents.”
President Biden has been an extraordinary, history-making president — a leader who has fought hard for working people and delivered astonishing results for all Americans. He will go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless presidents.
Thank you, @JoeBiden. https://t.co/HMUMEB1fTl
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 21, 2024
Later in the day he endorsed Harris for President in a post on X.
Before Biden’s announcement, a spokesperson for Newsom’s campaign had told KCRA 3 on Friday he was expected to continue his work as a top surrogate for the Biden-Harris campaign.
Newsom confirmed earlier this month he would not run against Harris in any presidential campaign.
“Of course,” he said when asked if that was still his plan after first making the statement on “Meet the Press” last fall.
It’s not clear yet exactly what role if any he’ll have in Harris’ campaign.
On Sunday, Newsom canceled an appearance at a Ninth Judicial Conference where he had planned to make remarks on Monday. Neither his campaign nor his office would say why as of Sunday night.
Newsom for years has repeatedly said he is not interested in running for president, while also making several efforts to raise his national profile. The governor has been in and out of California over the last several months, straddling state business while stumping for Biden. He most recently visited Michigan and Pennsylvania to campaign for the president during the Fourth of July weekend. Newsom also traveled to support him in Washington, D.C. in a meeting with Democratic governors following the president’s poor debate performance. Days before that, he made his rounds with the media in the spin room of the very first presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
Aside from his work as a surrogate, Newsom has positioned himself at the forefront of national political debates, especially on issues related to guns and abortion. Newsom launched his federal Campaign for Democracy to promote Democratic causes across the country. As of June 30, the campaign had raised $10.3 million. That campaign has funded a series of abortion-related ads in Republican-led states with restrictive policies. Through his Campaign for Democracy, he has also called for a Constitutional Convention on gun control, which hasn’t gained any ground since he launched the effort last summer.
No prominent Democrats have publicly stated Newsom should be considered for the nomination should Biden drop out.
Meanwhile, Harris as of Friday had been at the center of a plan being crafted by some Democrats to elevate her to the top of the ticket, according to NBC News. Harris had not approved the plan and was publicly and privately supporting Biden remaining in the race as of Friday.
Prominent California leaders have been promoting her. Rep. Adam Schiff told “Meet the Press” earlier this month that she would be a “phenomenal president” and could win “overwhelmingly.”
Schiff this week called on Biden to drop out of the race. California Planned Parenthood CEO and DNC Delegate Jodi Hicks also has reportedly been pushing for her to be the Democratic presidential nominee.
Harris has served as a trailblazer for women in California and national politics.
Prior to becoming the first woman to ever serve as vice president in 2021, Harris was California’s U.S. senator from 2017 to 2021. She was the first South Asian American and second African-American woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.
Prior to her time in the Senate, Harris was California’s first- and so far only -woman, African-American and South Asian American to serve as attorney general.
Harris, who is originally from Oakland, also served as San Francisco’s district attorney.
Harris tried to run for president in 2020, but dropped out of the race before the Democratic primary elections began.
–KCRA 3’s Daniel Macht contributed to this story.
