Harris says she will campaign for Newsom in California recall election

Vice President Harris says she will campaign for California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) as he faces a recall election.

Harris first revealed her intent to campaign for Newsom on Wednesday as she was leaving the Capitol. When asked about her plans to campaign for the governor by The San Francisco Chronicle, Harris responded, “Yes.”

The vice president’s office confirmed to The Hill that Harris did say she will campaign for Newsom but did not offer any additional details.

Harris is a fixture of California politics, having previously represented the state in the U.S. Senate in addition to serving as state attorney general and San Francisco district attorney.

She showed support for the governor amid the recall effort in May, saying in a video alongside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), “I want to thank our friend and governor, Gavin Newsom, for his leadership.”

“I support him 100 percent,” she added.

The recall election is heating up, with the vote scheduled for Sept. 14. Forty-one candidates qualified to be on the ballot.

Newsom faced a roadblock earlier this month after a judge ruled that he cannot identify himself as a Democrat on the ballot because of a filling mistake that led him to miss the deadline to request party affiliation.

A petition to recall Newsom was first established in February 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading rapidly through the U.S., causing states to enter lockdowns, according to ABC 7 in Los Angeles. The petitioners at the time said they were frustrated with how the governor dealt with issues like immigration, homelessness and property taxes.

Anger with Newsom, however, escalated amid the pandemic, when some Californians criticized the governor for his reopening effort and dining at a fancy restaurant while the state was still under stringent restrictions and most residents were being encouraged to stay home.