5 potential running mates for Kamala Harris

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Friday, July 26, 2024

California Gov. Gavin Newsom

Gavin Newsom has been a national figure since 2004 when the then-San Francisco mayor authorized same-sex marriages in his city in violation of federal law.

His national profile has grown even more since he was elected governor of the largest state in the union in 2018.

In 2023, he debated Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as the two made their case for why the U.S. should embrace the diametrically opposed political agendas the leaders have worked to implement in their respective states.

Unlike other potential vice president candidates, Newsom underperformed other Democrats in his most recent reelection bid. In 2022, Newsom won reelection by 18.4 percentage points, two years after Biden carried the state by over 29 points.

Newsom also has another vulnerability not shared by other potential vice presidential candidates: his residency in California.

The 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, "The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves."

California has 54 electoral votes in the Electoral College, far more than any other state. In the event of a Harris-Newsom ticket and the near certainty that the Democratic ticket would carry the state of California, the state's 54 electoral votes would have to be forfeited because both members of the ticket are from the same state.

If the 2024 presidential election race is as close as the 2020 presidential election, where President Joe Biden secured 306 electoral votes, the absence of California's 54 electoral votes could deprive Democrats of a victory.

While excluding California's 54 electoral votes from Democrats' overall total in a close election would not automatically result in Republicans winning the White House, it could push the Democrats below the 270 electoral vote threshold needed to win the presidency as it would have in 2020. In such a scenario, the U.S. House of Representatives would choose the president, with each state receiving one vote regardless of population.

During his tenure as governor, Newsom has unabashedly pursued a progressive agenda that includes approving laws requiring colleges to offer the abortion pill on campus, allowing biological males who identify as females into women's prisons, requiring gender-neutral bathrooms at schools and launching a $1 million website to inform those living in states with strong pro-life protections for the unborn as well as minors about how to get an abortion in his state.