Axios: Kamala Harris Is Leaning Towards Running Again in 2028;
Unnamed Democrats Are Attacking Gavin Newsom to Deny Him His Coronation

I'm a pessimist, so I never believe that the best possible outcome will come to pass just because I want it to. I never believed, for example, that Biden would wind up being the nominee in 2024, despite my intense desire that he be so.

But Kamala Harris is making me focus on what can be, unburdened by what has been.

Maybe this dingbat ding-a-ling really will run again -- and maybe the most important cohort in the Democrat Party, black women, will give her the win.

What, did you just fall out of the coconut tree?

LOS ANGELES -- Kamala Harris isn't planning to go gentle into that good night. This week the former vice president made clear to potential 2028 rivals that she's working to keep another White House campaign viable.

Why it matters: Despite worries from party leaders and donors that she can't win, Harris remains at or near the top of most 2028 Democratic primary polls. She also has strong support among Black voters -- the most critical voting bloc in most recent Democratic presidential primaries.

Driving the news: After lying low the first part of this year and then embarking on a 2024-focused book tour, Harris made several moves this week that many Democrats see as the beginnings of a 2028 campaign.

Her book tour expanded. Harris announced many more stops on her tour to promote "107 Days," her story of her short presidential campaign last year. Tour stops in early 2026 will include the historically critical primary state of South Carolina and cities with many Black voters, including Detroit, Jackson, Miss., Memphis, Tenn., and Montgomery, Ala.

She appeared before the Democratic National Committee. Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, mingled with national party officials and state party chairs in Los Angeles this week during the DNC's winter meeting.

At a reception Wednesday evening, DNC chair Ken Martin introduced Emhoff as the former second gentleman and quipped that he could be the future first gentleman, people who heard the remarks told Axios.

Harris is rolling out new rhetoric.

She railed against both parties and the status quo in a speech Friday to Democratic officials. Many in the room told Axios they were struck by how different Harris' remarks were from her Biden-defending message on the campaign trail last year.

"Both parties have failed to hold the public's trust," Harris said. "Government is viewed as fundamentally unable to meet the needs of its people.... People are done with the status quo and they're ready to break things to force change."

...

What they're saying: Harris spokesperson Kirsten Allen said Harris "will approach 2026 with the same commitment that anchored 2025 -- listening to the American people, reflecting where leadership has fallen short, and helping shape the path forward beyond this political moment."

Allen added that includes "supporting efforts to win back Democratic majorities in the House and Senate."

She'll be appearing on leftwing church elder Jimmy Kimmel's televangelist show next week.

Meanwhile, unnamed Democrats -- though we know with 100% confidence they're supporters and employees of the likely candidates Pritizker, Bootyjudge, Harris, and even the Fiercely Heterosexual Spartacus Booker -- are planting disparaging information about Gavin Newsom in their allied press.

They're even attacking him as... too left wing???!!?!

Gavin Newsom's Democratic rivals are plotting how to take down the early 2028 frontrunner, with a heavy emphasis on how unpopular his left-leaning views are outside deep-blue California.

Driving the news: Our conversations with more than 20 Democratic operatives, including several working for 2028 hopefuls, reveal that they see the California governor as the guy to beat -- and a guy with a lot of personal baggage that's exploitable for a presidential primary.

The consensus themes to expect in attacks on Newsom:

The "too liberal, coastal elite" argument

If primary voters prioritize electability, Newsom -- a former San Francisco mayor -- could be seen as a risky choice, the operatives say.

...

The wealthy Getty family has been a key backer of Newsom's political and business career, leading some of his foes in California to call him a slick "Davos Democrat."

2. The scandals

When he was San Francisco's mayor in early 2007, Newsom apologized for having an affair with his campaign manager's wife, who was also a subordinate in his mayoral office.

...

During strict COVID lockdowns he imposed as governor, Newsom in November 2020 attended a birthday dinner for a lobbyist and adviser at the posh French Laundry in Napa.

...

Zoom in: Some of Newsom's potential rivals and other Democratic leaders have begun going public with attacks.

California Rep. Ro Khanna, referring to Newsom's former chief of staff recently being charged with corruption, said the aide's indictment is a "toxic stain" on the state.

Kamala Harris: Tried and tested. Tanned, rested, and ready.

posted by Ace at 01:15 PM

| Access Comments