Harris contemplating California governorship

[LateToCult 41,869]

Kamala Harris has been lying low since her defeat in the presidential race, unwinding with family and senior aides in Hawaii before heading back to the nation’s capital.

But privately, the vice president has been instructing advisers and allies to keep her options open — whether for a possible 2028 presidential run, or even to run for governor in her home state of California in two years. As Harris has repeated in phone calls, “I am staying in the fight.”

…

If she opts not to run in 2028, the earliest clues about her political future could come around whether she runs to succeed Newsom in California, a prospect POLITICO first reported in May. Her office pushed back strongly at the time. Yet the mere idea of her running again in California has frozen the field and kept some fundraisers on the sidelines.

While there’s disagreement among people who know Harris well about what office she should run for, there’s emerging consensus that she probably can’t do both — compete for governor and then turn around and start a presidential campaign a few weeks later.

The calendar alone would make that difficult, with the 2028 primary gearing up immediately after the midterm elections. Harris confidants also point to the demands on a governor’s time, and the expectation of the electorate that she would stay home and dig into the state’s mounting challenges around the high cost of living, homelessness and crime.

“It’s a real job,” is how one of the people close to her put it, contending they were at first dismissive of the idea she might do it, but now feel like it’s possible.

And if she doesn’t run for governor, Harris will have to consider the cost of staying out of an open race in a state where other high-profile offices are not likely to come up soon. Both Senate seats will be filled for the foreseeable future by relatively youthful incumbent Sens. Alex Padilla, 51, and Adam Schiff, 64.

full story: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/25/kamala-harris-advisers-options-open-00191393

I think she could do well as California’s governor. Housing was clearly a big part of her 2024 mission and this would give her the perfect opportunity to implement some of that policy on the state that needs it most. Plus, Californians have an history of electing the person with the bigger, flashier name to the governorship. 

[littlepotter 76,616]

If she runs again in 2028.......

[bionic 50,111]

Running for governor after failing to be elected president is real "this'll do I guess" vibes

[Guest]

Don't worry, by 2028 the US would be already destroyed by Trump 

[LOVEDRUG 11,274]

I honestly don't think her presidential chances are as doomed as people think they are. In fact, I think serving as governor would set her up perfectly for a potential run in 2032/2036. Had she run against literally any other Republican this year I think that she would've won, it's just too hard to combat Trump's established populist rhetoric with a campaign cooked up in four months.

To me, she's more Nixon than Dukakis. He didn't run a bad campaign in 1960, Kennedy just ran a better one, which is why Nixon got a later shot at the presidency and won it in 1968.

[Louvre 4,493]

she probs shouldn't run for president... I liked her but she lost pretty bad. On the flipside, people now know her a lot better, that was one of her biggest hurdles with the election.

[Pablo 8,591]

Not a bad idea but don't think Democrats should vote for her to be the presidential candidate for 2028. They need to shake up it. 

[Louvre 4,493]

2 minutes ago, edengowon said:

I honestly don't think her presidential chances are as doomed as people think they are. In fact, I think serving as governor would set her up perfectly for a potential run in 2032/2036. Had she run against literally any other Republican this year I think that she would've won, it's just too hard to combat Trump's established populist rhetoric with a campaign cooked up in four months.

To me, she's more Nixon than Dukakis. He didn't run a bad campaign in 1960, Kennedy just ran a better one, which is why Nixon got a later shot at the presidency and won it in 1968.

I think that this would be a great path for her. She should stay in the public eye, do good work, become popular and them run again later. I think she would be a decent leader, we just need these republican bozos out of control asap. 

[LateToCult 41,869]

3 minutes ago, bionic said:

Running for governor after failing to be elected president is real "this'll do I guess" vibes

She’s got Nixon’s presidential path on the brain. 

[LOVEDRUG 11,274]

Just now, Louvre said:

I think that this would be a great path for her. She should stay in the public eye, do good work, become popular and them run again later. I think she would be a decent leader, we just need these republican bozos out of control asap. 

Absolutely. She'd have more to run on too, as one of the big criticisms of her this year was the fact that she lost the primary in 2020, and as a result had never held executive office. If she's able to launch a successful campaign for the governorship, put some of the policies she ran on into action, and then have that on her résumé to use for a presidential bid, I think she'd stand a good chance of winning.

[bionic 50,111]

4 minutes ago, Louvre said:

she probs shouldn't run for president... I liked her but she lost pretty bad. On the flipside, people now know her a lot better, that was one of her biggest hurdles with the election.

The establishment threw her under the bus. She was their sacrificial lamb

[gumzy3000 7,901]

For a second I thought 2028 was in 8 years and I quickly realized its 2024 and that its only 4 years away.... Time is going by so fast 

[HIM820 1,874]

30 minutes ago, edengowon said:

I honestly don't think her presidential chances are as doomed as people think they are. In fact, I think serving as governor would set her up perfectly for a potential run in 2032/2036. Had she run against literally any other Republican this year I think that she would've won, it's just too hard to combat Trump's established populist rhetoric with a campaign cooked up in four months.

To me, she's more Nixon than Dukakis. He didn't run a bad campaign in 1960, Kennedy just ran a better one, which is why Nixon got a later shot at the presidency and won it in 1968.

People are really doom and gloom and just repeating negative talking points driven by media to increase traction and viewership, but the reality is in the current polling. Her national profile was raised more in the last few months than her entire time as VP. 

Voters were asked after if they would have rather voted for Biden, Whitmer, Shapiro etc over Harris, and she still beat them all.

Now they are asking Dems who they would vote for in a 2028 primary if it was happening now, and Harris leads among all top democrats (Newsom, Whitmer, Shapiro, AOC, Walz, etc)  with about 40% of the voters. Thats drastically different than her prior primary prospects.    

[Lucas 31,135]

There will be no elections in 2028. They will not put Trumpists in every single available space in the governement, implement the nazi **** Project 2025, destroy the USA, only to let someone go into office in 4 years and reverse everything.

Project 2025 is too ambitious (in all the worst ways) for them to let a democrat go into office in 4 years. Not happening.

[LOVEDRUG 11,274]

1 minute ago, HIM820 said:

People are really doom and gloom and just repeating negative talking points driven by media to increase traction and viewership, but the reality is in the current polling. Her national profile was raised more in the last few months than her entire time as VP. 

Voters were asked after if they would have rather voted for Biden, Whitmer, Shapiro etc over Harris, and she still beat them all.

Now they are asking Dems who they would vote for in a 2028 primary if it was happening now, and Harris leads with about 40% of the voters. Thats drastically different than her prior primaries.  

I absolutely agree. I can say as a European who is both currently studying American politics at university and is incredibly interested in it, that I haven't seen this much admiration and positivity about an American presidential candidate over here since Obama. Obviously our opinions don't matter *as* much, but for a continent that can be incredibly cynical about American politics, she's clearly not nearly as bad or mediocre as a candidate as a lot of the American media seems to suggest. She's good, and can win.