"She goes first": Newsom dances around Kamala rivalry on "The Axios Show"
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom says the idea that he and Kamala Harris don't like each other is "preposterous," but acknowledges the former vice president took a shot at him in her bestselling book last year.
- "I think it created some color for the book," Newsom said on the latest episode of "The Axios Show," referring to Harris' claim that he didn't return her call when then-President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race.
- "It certainly helped her book sales — not my component part, but that book has done unbelievably well," Newsom added.
Driving the news: Newsom and Harris are atop most polls of potential Democratic presidential candidates for 2028 after a multi-decade rivalry in California politics.
- In his Axios interview Newsom — who said he texted Harris back after she called — tread carefully while discussing the former VP. He avoided direct criticism of her while also making his case for the Democratic Party to take a different, tougher approach to 2028.
- Harris has argued that she didn't have enough time in 2024 to make her own case for the presidency after Biden's sudden exit.
Between the lines: Newsom noted his long history with Harris since they both won elections in 2003 in San Francisco — Newsom as mayor, Harris as district attorney.
- "I also have known my relationship to that relationship — that when she goes, she goes first," he told Axios, an apparent reference to Harris running for U.S. Senate in 2016 and presidency in 2020, while Newsom waited until 2018 to run for governor.
- But Newsom also seemed to imply that after Harris' 2024 campaign, 2028 could be his turn — though Harris pointedly hasn't ruled out a run in two years.
"She's lived an extraordinary life," Newsom said of Harris in the past tense.
- "She's exceeded so many people's expectations — maybe not her own. And she may run for another office. She may run for school board," he said, adding that he'd support Harris whatever she does.
- "Kamala is an incredibly talented person who can do anything," he said. "She doesn't have to be anything anymore."
- A spokesperson for Harris did not respond to a request for comment.
Several leaders of Harris' 2020 presidential campaign have helped guide Newsom's national rise over the past year and are expected to stay with him if he runs in 2028.
Zoom in: Newsom told Axios he hadn't read "107 Days," Harris' book on her brief 2024 campaign.
- "I did not fully read it. I've got it. I've read excerpts," he said, before turning to the camera and saying: "I admit, Kamala, I have not fully absorbed the book. I should, but I was more focused on getting [my book] out."
