Kamala Harris is not going to run for governor of California. That is excellent news – not just for people trying to survive in the Socialist State of California, but for the GOP.
Many think Kamala rejected the Sacramento post so that she can take another swing at the Oval Office, in 2028. I hope so. Polls show Harris the frontrunner so far in that race, which is attracting a bevy of candidates. All those wannabes are sure to spill enormous amounts of money in the primaries, which will make it even harder to raise the funds Dems will need to combat Republicans. Right now Trump has a war chest of $1.4 billion; that’s quite a head start.
But Kamala does more than just clutter up the field, she will be a constant and unhappy reminder to voters of the sorry saga of the Joe Biden presidency, the cover-up of his decline, the complicity of those close to him (like Kamala) and the embarrassing coup that took him out of the race at the 11th hour.
Republicans are going to want to remind voters every day that they were snookered – by Democrat leaders who knew full well Joe was not up to four more years, and their enablers in the press. And, by Kamala.
Moreover, Kamala was a truly ghastly vice president and candidate. She is the perfect reminder of the bad old days when race and gender were more important than talent or smarts; she was the first DEI candidate and it hurt her party badly. When Joe Biden promised, under pressure from Jim Clyburn and others who had worked so hard to make him the candidate, to pick a woman of color as his running mate, the list of potential candidates was short. Harris was one of the few with national name recognition and she had campaign experience. Unfortunately for the country, the Biden team ignored that her run for the Democratic nomination was decidedly lame; she dropped out early, before any votes were cast, for good reason.
Gavin Newsom, Tim Walz, Jay Pritzker and Pete Buttagieg are all expected to compete in 2028, with the four of them running on a platform of undisputed mismanagement and ineptitude. California, Illinois and Minnesota are exceptional in imposing excessive taxes and driving residents and businesses away, while Buttagieg left behind a transportation department loaded with critical problems that he failed to address. Sean Duffy, whom Trump picked to fill that post, is actually tackling shortfalls in the FAA, for instance, which has been outdated and inadequate for decades.
More promising in the actual credential department are some of the popular Democrat governors like Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro and Maryland’s Wes Moore, and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel. Between now and 2028 Democrats are going to have to decide if they will abandon their party to the far left, or focus on leaders who could actually win a national election.
They will also have to decide if they want to retrace their stumbles of 2024 and put Kamala at the head of the ticket. Fingers crossed.
