Sep.22

electoral-vote.com

Dem 47

   

GOP 53

Harris Goes into Full Attack-Dog Mode--against Democrats

Kamala Harris' 2028 presidential campaign is now in full swing. Her new book blasts almost all of her expected 2028 primary opponents. Here is a quick rundown:

• Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA): After Joe Biden dropped out in July 2024 and Harris jumped in, she reached out to Newsom and he wrote back: "Hiking. Will call back." He never did. Not only was this a personal insult (because they are were friends), but it is a subtle suggestion that Newsom didn't want Harris to win because then he couldn't run in 2028. So she is implicitly accusing him of playing politics, when she actually is. At the Democratic National Convention he did give her a rousing endorsement in a very high-profile event. That's what matters, after all. Harris desperately needs to knock Newsom out of the running fast because she wants all those California delegates to the 2028 Democratic National Convention for herself.
  
  
• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI): Harris also faulted Whitmer for saying she needed to "let the dust settle" before making a public statement. Early on, it wasn't obvious that other high-profile Democrats would accept Harris as the nominee without any input from the voters. Whitmer was playing her cards close to her chest and Harris was miffed. The next day, Whitmer endorsed Harris and became a national campaign co-chair, but it wasn't fast enough for Harris.
  
  
• Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL): He also gets faulted for not coming forward with an instant endorsement. He said: "As governor of Illinois, I'm the convention host. I can't commit." The next day, Pritzker endorsed Harris. He later showcased her at the convention in his state and campaigned hard for her.
  
  
• Pete Buttigieg: Harris wrote that having a ticket with a Black woman who is married to a Jewish man plus a gay guy was a couple of bridges too far for the American people. When Buttigieg heard about this, he noted that Harris never approached him to discuss the situation. Since they are used to be friends, the very least she could have done is gotten together with him, told him about her concerns, and asked for his input. She didn't.
  
  
• Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA): Harris faults the Pennsylvania governor for being too ambitious. Pot meet kettle. Pretty much everyone in politics is ambitious. Shapiro is not the only one. He was a finalist in the veepstakes and at one point asked her how many bedrooms there are at Number One Observatory Circle (because it is not on Zillow... at least, not yet). She was clearly worried that Shapiro, who is a very smooth operator and excellent public speaker, might upstage her. In the 2028 cycle, he is going to get even by suggesting she has poor judgment because if she had picked him, she would have won Pennsylvania's 19 EVs and probably those of Michigan and Wisconsin as well.
  
  
• Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ): Say what? She is right that an Arizona senator might run in 2028. But it isn't this one, as he is still taking care of his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot while campaigning in Tucson years ago. Her gripe about Kelly is that he was too slow to endorse the pro-labor PRO Act. Kelly didn't even bother to reply. Kamala, if you are reading this, you just guaranteed that Kelly will not endorse you in 2028 until it is over. Smart move.
  

Joe Biden also got some flak, as did his inner circle, but the above list is a Who's Who of her likely primary opponents. Except that she isn't paying close attention. She missed at least two people who could be serious challengers: Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ).

We think she has a tin ear. Democrats are desperately seeking unity now and here comes one of the most prominent Democrats in the country attacking other Democrats. She is not a Republican, so she is free to ignore Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican." Instead, she is letting many top Democrats have it with both barrels. Maybe she is only trying to sell books, but our intuition is that she is trying to knock out her primary opponents in advance.

It won't work. Democratic voters want their politicians to be furious—with the heat of 1,000 suns—but they want that fury to be directed at Republicans, especially Donald Trump, not at fellow Democrats. And especially not in service of their own future campaigns. This stunt will label her as an angry candidate, but with anger at the wrong people. Cotton (above) is also a potential 2028 candidate, but he is aiming his anger at a popular Democrat the Republicans would love to take down. Even though his ad in North Carolina is just a stunt to get him some attention, most Republicans will approve of Cotton spending some of his own campaign funds trying to help the party win a key Senate race.

In contrast, Harris comes over as conceited and spoiled, and a chameleon. She didn't earn the nomination by winning a string of primaries. She was handed it by Biden due to the late hour (and his own failure to get out in Jan. 2023, when there could have been normal primaries). Nobody owed her anything. Biden could have said he was releasing his delegates and the 4,700 voting delegates in Chicago should pick the nominee, just like in the old days. If he had done that, she would have had to compete with all of the above potential candidates and beaten them all to get the nomination.

In fact, she could have done it herself. She could have said that she was running for the nomination, but she wanted an open convention with the delegates making the call. A win there would have given her the legitimacy she didn't have and which upset some voters. (V)