Robby Soave predicts: Kamala Harris not running for governor, but will run in 2028!
That's right, I fully expect Harris will make another run for the White House in 2028.
But right now, she's playing coy. Multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday that, after returning from a trip abroad, Harris decided to stay out of the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, himself a likely 2028 contender.
'For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office. I look forward to getting back out and listening to the American people, helping elect Democrats across the nation who will fight fearlessly, and sharing more details in the months ahead about my own plans,' she said.
The key phrase there is obviously: 'for now.'
Honestly, Harris is making the right call. Why on earth would the former veep want to be a lowly governor? For one thing, being governor of a state requires a lot more work than being vice president, a job that actually has very few requirements per the constitution. Running California, by contrast, means running a state that contains the world's fourth largest economy, and dealing directly with tech regulation, the impacts of immigration, mass transit issues and housing shortages, crime, forest fires and other issues. Is Harris cut out for that? I'm far from convinced.
But make no mistake: She does want to be president. And Kamala's perspective is that last time around, in 2024, she was never really allowed to run her race.
Since Joe Biden dropped out at literally the last minute, she didn't have time to hire and recruit campaign staff who actually believed in her. She didn't have time to plan and execute a strategy. She didn't have time convince the American people that she was sufficiently different from Biden — though to be fair, when given the opportunity to distance herself from the unpopular incumbent, she punted. Remember this moment on 'The View?'
Points for loyalty, I guess, but the answer crucified her with swing voters. People did not like the Biden administration, and they wanted a change. At no point did Kamala Harris indicate that she was going to give it to them.
But maybe next time will be the charm? If Kamala runs in 2028, it will be her third attempt to make a run at the presidency. Her 2019 campaign never got off the ground, and she dropped out when faced with polling in the California primary that had her likely to come in behind even Andrew Yang. Kamala Harris is not someone who has experienced a tremendous amount of success, on her own, as a national political candidate. Yet Biden chose her as his designated successor, and so she would enter the 2028 race with a certain amount of establishment and elite support, and also name recognition, even though there's not really some grassroots movement clamoring for her.
We've also learned that she is not terrific at long form interviews — which, if 2024 is any indication, could be a dominant means of introducing candidates to the American people by the time the next election rolls around. I have a feeling that the ascendancy of three-hour podcasts is not going to be contested any time soon. A successful presidential candidate is going to need to be able to sit down with Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz and whoever else for hours and make a favorable impression.
Love him or hate him, Gavin Newsom has proven he can do that. Pete Buttigieg has proven he can do it. Has Kamala Harris demonstrated this skill? I'm not so sure.
Nevertheless, another failed Democratic presidential candidate is wishing Kamala well. Reacting to the news, Hillary Cliton wrote on X: 'From prosecutor to senator to vice president, Kamala Harris has always been for the people. I know her next chapter will be no different, whatever shape it takes.'
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Boston Globe
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San Francisco Chronicle
8 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Texas governor threatens to remove Democrats who left state over Trump-backed redistricting
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Four years later, Abbott is taking a far more aggressive stance and swiftly warning Democrats that he will seek to remove them from office if they are not back when the House reconvenes Monday afternoon. He cited a non-binding 2021 legal opinion issued by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, which suggested a court could determine that a legislator had forfeited their office. He also suggested the lawmakers may have committed felonies by raising money to help pay for fines they'd face. 'This truancy ends now,' Abbott said. In response, House Democrats issued a four-word statement: 'Come and take it.' The state of the vote Lawmakers can't pass bills in the 150-member Texas House without at least two-thirds of them present. Democrats hold 62 of the seats in the majority-Republican chamber and at least 51 left the state, said Josh Rush Nisenson, spokesperson for the House Democratic Caucus. Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows said the chamber would still meet as planned on Monday afternoon. 'If a quorum is not present then, to borrow the recent talking points from some of my Democrat colleagues, all options will be on the table. . .,' he posted on X. Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate, said on X that Democrats who 'try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.' Fines for not showing up A refusal by Texas lawmakers to show up is a civil violation of legislative rules. The Texas Supreme Court held in 2021 that House leaders had the authority to 'physically compel the attendance' of missing members, but no Democrats were forcibly brought back to the state after warrants were served that year. Two years later, Republicans pushed through new rules that allow daily fines of $500 for lawmakers who don't show up for work as punishment. The quorum break will also delay votes on flood relief and new warning systems in the wake of last month's catastrophic floods in Texas that killed at least 136 people. Democrats had called for votes on the flooding response before taking up redistricting and have criticized Republicans for not doing so. Illinois hosts Texas lawmakers Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender who has been one of Trump's most outspoken critics during his second term, had been in quiet talks with Texas Democrats for weeks about offering support if they chose to leave the state to break quorum. Last week, the governor hosted several Texas Democrats in Illinois to publicly oppose the redistricting effort, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom held a similar event in his own state. Pritzker also met privately with Texas Democratic Chair Kendall Scudder in June to begin planning for the possibility that lawmakers would depart for Illinois if they did decide to break quorum to block the map, according to a source with direct knowledge who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations. 'This is not just rigging the system in Texas, it's about rigging the system against the rights of all Americans for years to come,' Pritzker said Sunday night. Trump is looking to avoid a repeat of his first term, when Democrats flipped the House just two years into his presidency, and hopes the new Texas map will aid that effort. Trump officials have also looked at redrawing lines in other states.
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Texas Democrats flee state over GOP-drawn House maps
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