History of California presidential frontrunners
OAKLAND, Calif. - California became the 31st state to join the union on September 9, 1850. Relatively speaking, that’s a long time ago, but as far as politics is concerned, historically – the Golden State has only seen a few presidential frontrunners clinch the nomination.
With Biden making his historic decision to step aside, everyone is left wondering what’s next?
There are some potential candidates from California who are ready to step into the spotlight.
Vice President Kamala Harris is the logical successor to Biden since that is essentially the function of a vice president should they become incapacitated in any way. But another name being floated as the next leader of the Democratic Party is California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Interestingly enough both have ties to San Francisco as the former district attorney and mayor respectively.
Harris and Newsom thrust Bay Area politics into national spotlight
President Joe Biden has ended his reelection bid, positioning Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom as two perceived front-runners for the Democratic Party nomination.
KTVU spoke with Eric Schickler, co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley for his take on the political drama.
While California may be lacking in the quantity of presidential frontrunners, the Golden State has had some heavy hitters who would go on to be elected president. Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980 and in 1984. Richard Nixon won in 1968 and 1972. And going further back, Herbert Hoover won the election in 1928.
It should be noted that Nixon is the only native Californian to have been elected to the presidency. Also, interestingly enough, Nixon rose to power in the wake of then-President Lyndon B. Johnson’s shocking announcement on March 31, 1968.
Johnson went on national television to say: "I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president."
History.com writes that Johnson’s exodus was, "a pivotal symbol in the rise of modern conservatism," showing conservatives that his brand of liberalism was a failure and that the Democrats’ agenda had been defeated.
With the Democrats commonly branding former President Trump as a neo-fascist, perhaps some parallels can be drawn here to what may be at stake.
Schickler says Harris is much more likely to become the democratic nominee than Newsom.
"Harris’ chances are high," he says. While she may be behind in the polling, he says she will be able to campaign more vigorously than Biden could have.
Furthermore, with Biden's endorsement, having Harris at the top of the ticket represents hope for taking a historic opportunity to elect the first woman and first Black woman as president.
Plainly stated, if Harris is passed up, the Dems risk disenfranchising a huge segment of the electorate.
SEE ALSO: Here’s what happens in California Newsom runs for president
"Biden sees [Harris] as someone who can carry out his legacy," Schickler said.
If Harris is not nominated, the Democrats risk negative sentiment for a huge lost opportunity.
Schickler says with how messy this election year has turned out, others whose names have been floated, like Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, may choose to stay out of the fray until 2028.
"It’s not clear any candidate would have the incentive to challenge her," Schickler said.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have all stated publicly that with Biden as the nominee, there was no path to victory. With donations dwindling, it may have seemed like Biden had little choice.
Now it will be interesting to see how Republicans attempt to appeal to voters with Harris as the likely opponent. One would assume they will associate her with "liberal California," Schickler said, but it might be a hard sell since, "She was in the Senate. She was a prosecutor with a tough reputation."
Casting her as weak on crime might not be so effective for the GOP if this is in fact how the race goes down. Time will tell how this Californian does in a head to head race against Trump.