Newsom: Re-Surrogating For Harris

When President Joe Biden was still running for reelection earlier this year, he had one go-to guy for him to speak on his behalf where he couldn’t be: Governor Gavin Newsom. For Biden, Newsom was perfect for drumming up support in swing states, as well as getting fundraising dollars and solidifying the base in blue states. And for Newsom, it was a great way for him to get more name recognition and party support in the run up to the 2028 Presidential election.

But then came the June debate between Biden and Trump. Newsom was down in Atlanta, ready to field questions from the press. But after Biden’s disastrous performance, what was supposed to be an easy defending session quickly turned into a nightmare for Newsom, defending Biden despite multiple gaffes, protecting him on age related questions, and even fending off calls for him to run in Biden’s place. In the following days, Newsom continued his surrogacy across the country, but this time acting more and more in a damage control setting. Even when he got back to California and gave press conferences on state matters, the press kept going after him for defending Biden.

Then Biden dropped out with Harris, whom Newsom had expected to fight for the nomination in 2028, suddenly getting the 2024 slot. Newsom did praise Harris, but outside of a few appearances at Harris fundraisers and his appearance at the DNC casting California’s delegate votes for Harris, Newsom hasn’t been a big part of the Harris campaign. At least compared to his role in the Biden run.

But in recent weeks, Newsom has been shifting more and more towards Harris. This included vetoing the AB 1840 illegal immigrant home loan bill, one that, if he had signed, would have put him in direct odds against the Biden/Harris administration. This week finally made it official: Newsom is back as a surrogate for the Democratic candidate. Already this week, Newsom has been a part of fundraisers and has been campaigning out East, included big events in New York on Sunday. And on Tuesday, he was in Philadelphia ahead of the debate, where he is expected to act just how he did with the June debate, answering questions post-debate and defending Harris’ answers.

Newsom surrogate

“What Kamala Harris has done in the past eight weeks is unprecedented in U.S. history. She’s closed the gap. We’re not just in the margin of error. We’ve expanded the map of the United States,” said Newsom in New York on Tuesday before the debate. “She is a new generation, a leader, and that’s her opportunity. She seems calm, cool and collected. I think she’s going to do great. And I’m not going to tell you what advice I gave her.”

However, the big question now is what Newsom will be doing after the debate. After all, he has hundreds of bills to go through over the rest of the month back in Sacramento. Will Newsom stay busy being a surrogate for Harris? Or will he hang back again and focus more on California.

“It all depends on what he wants to do in the next four to eight years,” explained Melissa Spielman, a political analyst who focuses on presidential primaries, to the Globe on Tuesday. “If Harris surges, and he wants, say, a position in her cabinet, then yeah, he’ll be out there at a lot of events. Odds are though, he’ll back Harris to the extent she wants his support. It will be a mix of California and National for Newsom most likely, and he’ll keep his options open. Especially if Trump wins. If that happens, he’s back on for 2028. And if he was a huge Harris supporter in 2024, he’ll be tied to someone who lost, and that could wreck him.

“So he’ll likely just be a soft surrogate, going to events as needed by her. He’ll stay in the game to possibly get a Harris administration position, but also be distanced enough to still be able to do his own thing, like a future Presidential run or even going for another position to stay in the public’s eye.”

As of Tuesday night, Newsom has not yet announced what his plans are for the rest of the month.