(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The White House did not explicitly deny rumors that Vice President Kamala Harris is secretly planning to run for California governor, possibly anticipating a defeat in the 2024 election.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sidestepped questions regarding a Politico report suggesting Harris has shared her political plans with friends, should former President Donald Trump return to office.
“That is news to me,” Jean-Pierre replied when Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy inquired about the Politico story.
Doocy: “Something totally different.”
KJP: “Oh, gosh. [Other reporters laugh] Where is this going?”
Doocy: “Have you heard —”
KJP: “Oh, no!”
Doocy: “— that Vice President Harris is telling friends that she may go back to California and run for governor if the election does… pic.twitter.com/qXZ0UYWgJa
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) May 16, 2024
“I’d say this, the vice president has been a great partner to this president,” she added, without directly addressing Politico’s allegations.
Jean-Pierre insisted that President Joe Biden is “appreciative” of Harris, contradicting reports claiming the president had grown disappointed with his running mate’s mounting failures.
Despite polls indicating that many Americans disapprove of Harris, Jean-Pierre stated, “It is impressive what she’s been able to do on these tours that she has done on reproductive rights.”
Jean-Pierre’s non-denial of the Politico report followed the outlet’s claim that Harris has “joked” about potentially returning to California to govern the leftist state.
This scenario is reminiscent of former President Richard Nixon, who unsuccessfully ran for California governor after losing the 1960 presidential election to John F. Kennedy.
In response to the rumors, Harris’s Communications Director Kirsten Allen refuted Politico’s claims.
“That did not happen,” Allen said, contradicting the two sources cited by Politico. “This November, the vice president will be preparing to be inaugurated for the second term of the Biden-Harris administration.”
Despite the White House’s confidence in Harris’s 2024 prospects, several polls show Trump leading.
For the first time, legacy media polls indicate the former president ahead, even more so than in 2016 when he defeated Hillary Clinton, the infamous former secretary of state, now an election denier and conspiracy theorist.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Trump holds a 41.3% average to Biden’s 40.3%.
The New York Times released a poll earlier this week showing Trump leading in five out of six swing states: Nevada (12 points), Arizona (7 points), Michigan (5 points), Pennsylvania (3 points) and Georgia (10 points).
