Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, was backed by Joe Biden, who withdrew from the presidential race. “In the best interest of my party and the country,” Mr. Biden, 81, withdrew from office on Sunday, citing his time in office as the “greatest honor.”
Longtime Biden ally and California governor Gavin Newsom declared Harris the best candidate while also recognizing Biden’s decision to withdraw from the contest.
“Tough. Fearless. Tenacious. With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President, Kamala Harris,” he said.
“People are all in for Kamala Harris, all in. I’ve never seen anything like it. Everybody lined up, from myself to other governors, we had former presidents endorsing her candidacy, and now she has the delegates she needs to lock this in. And just yesterday she had this unbelievable rally in Wisconsin, and it was next-level energy,” Newsom said during a podcast with Marshawn Lynch. “I pity Donald Trump right now. He was not prepared for this to happen, he’s flat-footed.”
Along with Governors Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Newsom had been mentioned as a possible Democratic candidacy or running partner.
As California’s 40th and current governor since 2019, Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician and businessman. He was the 42nd mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011 and the 49th lieutenant governor of California from 2011 to 2019 both held by Democrats.
Although serving as vice president can serve as a launching pad for presidential ambitions, Newsom is unlikely to pursue that path.
Bob Shrum, a seasoned national Democratic strategist, stated that Newsom joining a Harris ticket is “practically impossible.” He makes reference to the 12th Amendment, which stipulates that the President and Vice-President “shall not be residents of the same state with themselves,” or at least one of them must be. This implies that the president and vice president are not permitted to claim the same state as their domicile.
Given that both Harris and Newsom are Californians, Newsom’s nomination might be disqualified, right?
Barry Burden, a political science professor and the director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, stated that “voters could not vote for both Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom if they were the presidential and vice presidential candidates, respectively. Thus, choosing which of them to vote for would subsequently be a problem—possibly even a crisis—for those electors. Potentially, it might cost the ticket electoral votes.”
“Given that both Harris and Newsom have valid addresses and voter registration in the same state, the 54 electoral votes that Californians now have would effectively be nullified,” legal experts told the Sacramento Bee.
“A Harris-Newsom ticket is not an issue in 49 states and the District of Columbia,” according to Notre Dame Law School professor Derek Muller, who made this statement to the Sacramento Bee. “It is limited to the state of California. It would forbid voters in California from selecting both Harris and Newsom.”
Carl DeMaio, chairman of Reform California and a candidate for State Assembly, offered another solution: “If Democrats want to slate Newsom as vice president, all they have to do is have one of them claim residence in a different state.”
Shrum added that for that to happen, “Gavin Newsom would have to move out of state and resign as governor.”
It’s quite improbable that Newsom would give up his governorship or ever give up his California residence. He is a fourth-generation San Franciscan, having made his millions in vineyards, restaurants, and hotels all around the state, with his late father serving as a state appeals court judge.
Nathan Click, a spokesman for Newsom’s campaign, broke the news on Monday that Newsom had no interest in running for vice president. “From his perspective, he has the best job in the world,” Click stated. “He looks forward to supporting VP Harris and whomever she picks as her running mate.”
and whomever she picks as her running mate.”