Latest news with #Pioneer49
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Kamala Harris gives clearest signal yet she will run for White House again in 2028
Former Vice President Kamala Harris triggered further speculation over the weekend that she is not running for governor of California after she delivered a lackluster address to the Democratic state political convention. Harris did not attend the event in-person but sent a three-minute video address that was politely received by the audience. In a steady, monotone voice, she spoke about the Trump administration's recent actions against universities and praised activists efforts to fight the president's agenda. 'While this administration in Washington tries to divide us, we hear know that we are stronger when we stand together,' she said, a flashback to her 2024 campaign slogan. Harris' failure to appear at the convention and her video address suggested she was not interested in running for governor of California, and instead pursuing a return to presidential politics. The Democratic primary for the race is scheduled for June 2, 2026, with the general election scheduled for November. Harris has always been popular in California, easily beating Democratic challengers in her race for Attorney General and her race for Senator of California. Her 2020 race for president, however, failed spectacularly as she ended her campaign before the Iowa caucuses and the California primary. Since her loss, Harris has vowed to 'stay in the fight' and organized some of her trusted aides into the organization Pioneer49, while she explores her political future. California Democratic activists are frustrated by the lack of signals from Harris, as they are impatient to move forward with a clear candidate. If Harris runs for governor, she will likely forego another run for president in 2028, which Democratic strategists in Washington, DC fully expect her to explore. She continues to delay any decisions about running for governor or diving into presidential politics again, telling advisors she will made a decision in late-summer. A third option remains, that she will forego a political career entirely and remain a paid speaker and inspirational figure for activists with the option of publishing a book of her memoirs. In the meantime, Harris continues to take the stage to protest the Trump administration and rally activists. Last week, she appeared at an event in Australia where she shared a bizarre story about her mother and spiraled into word salads when asked to speak about the importance of humility. Harris also appeared at the lavish Met Gala last month wearing a custom look from Off-White, designed by creative director IB Kamara, but skipped the red carpet. The failed presidential candidate also took the stage at Emerge 20th anniversary gala at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco to deliver the keynote speech that began late in the evening. 'It's good to be home!' Harris laughed as she took the stage, criticizing Trump for his agenda, particularly his tariffs. 'Instead of the administration working to advance America's highest ideals, we are witnessing a wholesale abandonment of those ideals,' she said. Trump's agenda, she said, was 'not lowering costs' and 'not making life more affordable' and 'not what they promised.' She noted that the Trump administration was counting on the fact that fear was 'contagious.' She also urged Democrats to find courage in the video of the San Diego Zoo elephants who responded to a recent earthquake by circling around each other. 'As soon as they felt the earth shaking beneath their feet, they got in a circle and stood next to each other to protect the most vulnerable,' she said. 'Think about it. What a powerful metaphor.' Harris cautioned Democrats from dismissing Trump's efforts as 'chaos.' 'Understand what we are in fact witnessing is a high velocity event, where a vessel is being used for the swift implementation of an agenda that has been decades in the making,' She urged Americans to stand against the administration with courage. 'What we are experiencing right now is exactly what they envisioned for America, right now we are living in their vision for America, but this is not a vision that American's want.' She praised people who protested the president's agenda, including his deportation orders. 'It is not okay to detain and disappear American citizens or anyone without due process,' she said. Harris only spoke for about 15 minutes, but it was the crowning moment for the event that helped raise money for female political candidates.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kamala Harris gets serious about whether to run for California governor
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is seriously considering a run for governor of California — and has given herself a deadline to decide. At a pre-Oscars party last weekend, Harris was asked by another partygoer when she would make a decision about jumping into the California governor's race. She gave a definitive answer, according to two people with knowledge of the conversation: the end of the summer. And in calls to supporters, allies and trusted aides in recent weeks, Harris has made clear that she plans to make a decision in a few months. Harris' timeline, reported here first, is the clearest indication to date that she may enter the race to succeed the termed-out Gavin Newsom in the Golden State. And, allies said, a win would almost certainly take a 2028 presidential run — which Harris is still mulling — off the table. Harris maintains significant leads in early national polls of the field of possible candidates, yet she's had some frank conversations with advisers and confidants in Washington about how difficult they expect the presidential primary to be. Harris aides note she has long been intrigued by the idea of being the chief executive of the fifth-largest economy in the world and the first Black woman to be governor in America. Harris' public appearances since leaving office point to a politician who sees a future as a Democratic Party leader — from one coast or another. Over the last few weeks, she made an appearance at the NAACP Image Awards to accept the Chairman's prize. She is headed to Las Vegas, which is in an early primary state, this weekend for a moderated conversation about artificial intelligence and talking with advisers about other ways to keep her name in the national conversation. Harris has also kept on some of her most senior and trusted aides under her newly formed organization Pioneer49, including chief of staff Sheila Nix and senior advisers Kirsten Allen and Ike Irby. Longtime advisers Brian Nelson and Minyon Moore as well as her White House chief of staff Lorraine Voles all remain key parts of her informal kitchen cabinet. Other top aides in California are waiting for the signal from Harris to engage. Since losing the election, Harris has told all her aides and allies to keep every possible path open. 'I am staying in this fight,' she repeated to allies in phone calls and at private gatherings. Harris has yet to convene formal conversations about a run for governor. For now, the mere prospect of her running for the top job in the state has already sent several California Democratic candidates in the 2026 field for governor looking for other options. State Attorney General Rob Bonta will seek reelection, telling POLITICO he won't run for governor in part because Harris was likely to clear the field if she runs. 'I hope she does. I have already raised my hand to endorse her, if she does,' Bonta said, 'but I think only Kamala Harris knows the answer.' Former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, who is eyeing the race closely, has suggested she would not challenge Harris in the state's primary where the leading two candidates, regardless of their party, advance to a November matchup. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a close Harris ally in California who shares some of the same top consultants, would also stand aside and likely slot into another statewide race if Harris runs. Others like former state Senate leader Toni Atkins, former state Controller Betty Yee and state schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond have long supported Harris. Only former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has suggested he will stay in the race, though even people close to him have shared doubts about those plans. 'Her name recognition, her favorables, her ability to run a successful campaign would have the impact of clearing the field on the Democratic side," Bonta said. 'If anyone wants to stay in, will I tell them, 'You should leave because she's clearing the field?' Absolutely not. They can run. I think they'll lose, and I will support her.'
Politico
07-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
Kamala Harris gets serious about whether to run for California governor
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is seriously considering a run for governor of California — and has given herself a deadline to decide. At a pre-Oscars party last weekend, Harris was asked by another partygoer when she would make a decision about jumping into the California governor's race. She gave a definitive answer, according to two people with knowledge of the conversation: the end of the summer. And in calls to supporters, allies and trusted aides in recent weeks, Harris has made clear that she plans to make a decision in a few months. Harris' timeline, reported here first, is the clearest indication to date that she may enter the race to succeed the termed-out Gavin Newsom in the Golden State. And, allies said, a win would almost certainly take a 2028 presidential run — which Harris is still mulling — off the table. Harris maintains significant leads in early national polls of the field of possible candidates, yet she's had some frank conversations with advisers and confidants in Washington about how difficult they expect the presidential primary to be. Harris aides note she has long been intrigued by the idea of being the chief executive of the fifth-largest economy in the world and the first Black woman to be governor in America. Harris' public appearances since leaving office point to a politician who sees a future as a Democratic Party leader — from one coast or another. Over the last few weeks, she made an appearance at the NAACP Image Awards to accept the Chairman's prize. She is headed to Las Vegas, which is in an early primary state, this weekend for a moderated conversation about artificial intelligence and talking with advisers about other ways to keep her name in the national conversation. Harris has also kept on some of her most senior and trusted aides under her newly formed organization Pioneer49, including chief of staff Sheila Nix and senior advisers Kirsten Allen and Ike Irby. Longtime advisers Brian Nelson and Minyon Moore as well as her White House chief of staff Lorraine Voles all remain key parts of her informal kitchen cabinet. Other top aides in California are waiting for the signal from Harris to engage. Since losing the election, Harris has told all her aides and allies to keep every possible path open. 'I am staying in this fight,' she repeated to allies in phone calls and at private gatherings. Harris has yet to convene formal conversations about a run for governor. For now, the mere prospect of her running for the top job in the state has already sent several California Democratic candidates in the 2026 field for governor looking for other options. State Attorney General Rob Bonta will seek reelection, telling POLITICO he won't run for governor in part because Harris was likely to clear the field if she runs. 'I hope she does. I have already raised my hand to endorse her, if she does,' Bonta said, 'but I think only Kamala Harris knows the answer.' Former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, who is eyeing the race closely, has suggested she would not challenge Harris in the state's primary where the leading two candidates, regardless of their party, advance to a November matchup. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a close Harris ally in California who shares some of the same top consultants, would also stand aside and likely slot into another statewide race if Harris runs. Others like former state Senate leader Toni Atkins, former state Controller Betty Yee and state schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond have long supported Harris. Only former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has suggested he will stay in the race, though even people close to him have shared doubts about those plans. 'Her name recognition, her favorables, her ability to run a successful campaign would have the impact of clearing the field on the Democratic side,' Bonta said. 'If anyone wants to stay in, will I tell them, 'You should leave because she's clearing the field?' Absolutely not. They can run. I think they'll lose, and I will support her.'
