Allies of Harris Upset At Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ‘Disrespectful’ Upstaging of VP…
A report on Tuesday that cited several people close to the Biden administration said far-left California Gov. Gavin Newsom is getting under their skin with his constant attacks on GOP lawmakers, states, and presidential candidates in what they view as a clear attempt to position himself for a future presidential run.
According to NBC News, Newsom “is increasingly being viewed as a nuisance to some of President Joe Biden’s political advisers, according to four people familiar with the matter.”
“Though Biden’s camp no longer sees Newsom as a wannabe challenger — and some in Biden’s orbit praise him for acting as a top campaign surrogate — Newsom’s plan to debate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on television carries more risk than potential reward, these people say,” the Sunday report continued. “That has caused consternation within Biden’s operation and among Vice President Kamala Harris’ allies.”
Harris, readers may recall, was serving as one of California’s U.S. senators before Biden picked her as his running mate.
NBC News went on to report that “Harris allies take particular umbrage at what they see as Newsom’s attempt to position himself for the 2028 Democratic presidential primarily at her expense.”
“It’s disrespectful,” one of Harris’ outside advisers told the outlet. “Joe Biden is running with Kamala Harris. That’s the Democratic ticket.”
The outlet noted further:
Some Biden advisers have complained privately that the planned debate, which Fox News host Sean Hannity would moderate, could make voters think Newsom is running a shadow 2024 campaign at a time when most Democrats say they’d prefer a different candidate at the top of the ticket. They also argue that it could elevate DeSantis, whom White House advisers initially perceived as a greater threat to Biden’s re-election hopes than the GOP front-runner, former President Donald Trump. (Others have insisted that there is no harm in their debating and that, in fact, it could be a net positive.)
It’s not clear yet that the debate will actually go forward: The two camps have been haggling over proposed rules since DeSantis accepted Newsom’s standing challenge this month. But the specter of the two governors going head to head has highlighted the degree to which Biden’s interests aren’t always clear and can diverge from Harris’ interests.
There is also the issue of Harris’ chronically bad approval ratings. While Biden’s are nothing to crow about, Harris’ have consistently been worse – a lot worse.
The Western Journal notes: “As of Monday, Biden’s aggregate ratings in the RealClearPolitics polling average sits at 42.1 percent approval and 53.4 percent disapproval — an 11 percent gap. Harris — who was supposed to be taking the yoke right about now if all went according to what felt like the unspoken plan — is at 37.1 percent approval and 53.0 percent disapproval. That’s just shy of a 16-point differential — and much worse than Biden, who comes across as more likable by shuffling around like a zombie, apparently.”
In addition, none of the assignments given to Harris by Biden have turned out favorably, beginning with making her a sort of ‘border czar’ — an impossible task given that the president has set the policies for the border that have led to historic levels of illegal immigration.
At 80 years old, Biden is definitely showing signs of his age, and that is a problem that more and more Democratic voters are considering as he runs for reelection.
It appears that much of their concern is that, in case he becomes incapacitated and can no longer serve or worse, should he pass away while in office, that would mean Harris becomes president — and that’s not something most Americans in either party want to see.
According to a new survey, she is so unpopular that she is seen now harming Biden’s reelection chances.
The Washington Examiner reported:
When Rasmussen Reports asked likely voters, “Is she doing a better job or worse job than most previous vice presidents?” her poor showing demonstrated why some Democrats and liberal media outlets are urging Biden to replace her on his reelection ticket.
According to the new survey shared with Secrets Wednesday, 50% said she is worse than most previous vice presidents, 22% said “better,” and 24% saw no difference.
Earlier this month, George Skelton, a longtime political columnist for the Los Angeles Times, wrote that Biden should replace Harris now so she can return to California and take lame-duck Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat.
“Biden’s problem is Harris. She’s a burden — a drag on his reelection prospects,” he wrote.
