Harris and Newsom thrust Bay Area politics into national spotlight
OAKLAND, Calif. - 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.
The vice president and governor, who have established political careers, are well-acquainted from their time working closely together when Harris served as San Francisco district attorney and Newsom as the city's mayor.
Both maintain strong connections to the Bay Area and have a substantial base throughout California, which could influence the national political landscape. Harris, with her position as vice president, and Newsom, who has gained national prominence and is comfortable discussing policy as well as engaging with top Republicans, stand to have broad influences.
Harris, who was born in Oakland and raised in Berkeley, cut her teeth as a prosecutor in Alameda County in the early ‘90s where she earned a reputation as a rising star. She was eventually recruited to the offices of San Francisco District Attorney and later the City Attorney as her Bay Area career flourished.
Watch live: Biden drops out of 2024 presidential race
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Harris ousted an incumbent in 2003 to become the district attorney of San Francisco, championing her "smart on crime" philosophy. She soon became a household name in the Bay Area and beyond, ultimately aiming for higher office.
Harris' ascent to Washington was perhaps seen as destined as she rose through the political echelons of California. She was elected as the state attorney general in 2010 and won reelection in 2014.
Nonetheless, some progressive Democrats have scrutinized Harris for her prosecutorial stance and criminal justice record, which they believe contributed to the disproportionate incarceration within Black and Latino communities.
On the other hand, Harris has already been on a winning presidential ticket with Biden. She has years of goodwill banked with core party constituencies and would likely control a huge campaign fund amassed by the Biden reelection. Biden officially endorsed Harris on Sunday after announcing he was leaving the race.
With Democratic Party regulations preventing Biden from transferring the delegates he amassed during next month’s convention, a number of delegates have already suggested they’d be loyal to Harris.
Biden selecting Harris could limit potential chaos and avoid floor fights that do lasting damage to whoever emerges to take on Republican Donald Trump.
Harris is the first woman to serve as vice president as well as the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent. African Americans are historically Democrats’ largest and most loyal bloc of supporters.
Bypassing a historic No. 2 for anyone else would already be difficult. Being seen as leading the charge against someone who broke gender and racial barriers could forever mark the challenger as disloyal in future Democratic primaries.
Another top alternative to run in Biden's place is Newsom.
The 56-year-old governor has brushed aside questions about whether he would seek the party’s nomination at next month’s national convention if Biden were to withdraw. However, now that possibility is closer to reality.
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He is the second governor in U.S. history to defeat a recall, which cemented him as a prominent figure in national Democratic politics.
Newsom has been viewed as a potential White House contender since at least 2004, when as mayor of San Francisco he defied federal law to issue marriage licenses to LGBTQ couples.
While governor, Newsom has enacted more than a dozen laws aimed at making California a sanctuary for women in other states seeking abortions now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade.
He ordered state regulators to ban the sale of most new gas-powered cars by 2035. His budgets have paid for every 4-year-old to go to kindergarten for free and will cover the health care costs of all low income immigrants in California who are living in the United States without legal permission.
But a potential Newsom presidential campaign would have to answer for a host of California’s most stubborn problems, including an ever expanding homeless population and an increase in crime. Meanwhile, soaring inflation has only increased the state’s high cost of living.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.