Subtle Signs A Gavin Newsom & Kamala Harris Feud Is Brewing

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What happens in 2028 is anyone's guess, but Former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom are both expected to make a bid for the Democratic presidential ticket. Harris and Newsom have a more complicated relationship than people realize, and since the release of her book, "107 Days," it appears tensions are rising between the two politicians. When Joe Biden endorsed Harris, following his own election dropout, there was very little time left for the former VP to build her campaign, and one of the first people Harris called for help was Newsom. But the governor didn't pick up, nor did he call her back. Harris made a point of emphasizing this in her book, seemingly wounded by the apparent snub. Newsom responded to the many questions commentators had after reading that particular passage, telling curious reporters that, first of all, he hadn't read it (ouch), but that he was working tirelessly behind the scenes at the time to endorse her as soon as possible, snarking, "I assume that's in the book as well," (via Politico). 

Er, it's not. Add to that the fact that the former San Francisco mayor initially claimed on his podcast, "Politickin,'" that he'd been in the gym when he received the call. Newsom took another subtle jab at Harris while making an appearance on "Pod Save America" shortly after the 2024 Democratic National Convention took place. He was asked about the swiftness with which she was selected as the presidential nominee, and the fact that the former prosecutor didn't have to face off against any other contenders in a primary. "We went through a very open process, a very inclusive process. It was bottom-up, I don't know if you know that. That's what I've been told to say!" Newsom quipped with a laugh.

Pundits continue to speculate about whether or not Gavin Newsom is planning on running for president. But the Californian governor sure seems determined to cement himself as a worthy contender, especially when you pay attention to his brutal social media takedowns of Donald Trump and his cronies. Newsom has also hinted that he might just be the guy to help the Dems find their feet again after Kamala Harris' brutal election loss. He seemingly swiped at the former vice president during an interview on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" by proclaiming, "As the Democratic Party, we have a lot of work to do to make up for our failures in the past. We got crushed in this last election." Notably, the outspoken politician also opted to undo some of the legislation Harris passed during her tenure as San Francisco's district attorney. 

In October 2025, he signed a bill ending her anti-truancy law, which held parents accountable when their kids missed a certain number of school days without a good reason. As for the subtle jabs that continue to proliferate between them, the former prosecutor confirmed to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow that she and Newsom go way back. Moreover, Harris was confident he wasn't crying himself to sleep over her mentioning him not answering her phone call in her book, reasoning, "Gavin has a great sense of humor so, you know, he's gonna be fine," (via the Los Angeles Times). Harris also agreed with Newsom's decision to do some gerrymandering in the state of California in response to the Republicans' efforts to do the same in Texas, arguing simply, "I think this is a moment where you gotta fight fire with fire."