Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom are now making their private disagreement public.
Both are Democrats from California who were sworn in on the same day 20 years ago.
They’ve always acted as a team since starting their political careers in San Francisco under the same mentor, Willie Brown, a major figure in California politics.
However, their relationship has become more strained as both are preparing for a possible 2028 presidential run.
On Thursday, the New York Times reported that when asked if she supported calling him “President Newsom,” Harris remained silent.
“He has to decide if he wants to run first,” Harris, who is 61, said.
Newsom has been trying to bring some of Harris’ former supporters into his camp, including her ex-chief of staff, her consulting firm, and her campaign manager, according to the Times.
Harris shared some of the disagreements in her memoir, 107 Days, which covers her brief 2024 campaign.
In the book, she said Newsom didn’t return her call the day former President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
“He was hiking.
Will call back,” he texted at the time. He later endorsed her as the Democratic nominee.
Newsom asked her during a video game stream in October why she included that story in the book.
Harris replied: “On book tour. Get back to you later.”
Newsom has taken on the role of the Democrats’ main provocateur, using bold social media posts and frequent jabs at Trump to increase his national recognition.
In an October CBS Sunday Morning interview, he told Robert Costa he would be “lying” if he said he wasn’t thinking about running for president.
“I think the biggest challenge for anyone running for any office is that people see right through you if you don’t have that ‘why,’” Newsom said.
Harris has been just as vague.
She told the BBC she is “not done” when asked about her future presidential ambitions.
A recent Yale Youth Poll of 3,426 registered voters—including 1,706 aged 18 to 34—showed Newsom leading Democratic preferences for 2028 with 25 percent support and an 85 percent electability rating, followed by Harris at 18 percent.
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