Why Gavin Newsom will likely have to wait for a White House bid

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

published 21 September 2021

Even after he cruised to victory in California's recall election, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has suggested he's not thinking about a White House bid, though as Los Angeles Times columnist Mark Barabak points out, he hasn't explicitly said it'll never happen.

Still, Barabak argues there's one reason why you should probably take Newsom, whom he described as a "hot commodity" in the wake of the recall rout, at his word — for now, at least. That would be Vice President Kamala Harris, a fellow Californian who has come up through the political ranks alongside Newsom. Barabak paints them as occasional rivals who have also helped each other out when needed, and noted that Harris is considered the natural successor to President Biden, perhaps as soon as 2024 if the commander-in-chief doesn't seek a second term.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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