Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) may not be the wisest pick to be Vice President Kamala Harris’s right-hand man.
As rumors begin to circulate about a potential vice presidential pick for the Democratic presidential candidate after President Joe Biden announced he was suspending his campaign, two Californians on the ticket would be a no-go due to the 12th Amendment.
Newsom’s name is currently being floated as a potential running mate alongside Govs. Roy Cooper (D-NC), Andy Beshear (D-KY), and Josh Shapiro (D-PA).
The 12th Amendment prohibits two people from the same state on the same presidential ticket from being voted upon by that state’s delegates. As written in the Constitution, the amendment requires that electors “vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves.”
When former President Donald Trump was conducting his own veepstakes, he ran into a similar issue with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as both men are Floridians. In the end, Rubio was not selected and a vote counting crisis was avoided.
During George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign, he selected former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney as his running mate, but both men were Texas residents. Cheney ended up moving his residency back to Wyoming, where he had previously represented the state in the House.
In a race that is expected to be close, missing out on California’s 54 electoral votes — which will almost certainly be awarded to the Democratic nominee — would be a huge loss.
When Newsom was mayor of San Francisco, Harris was San Francisco’s district attorney, so the pair have a well-established working relationship. Hours after Biden endorsed Harris as his replacement, Newsom backed her as well.
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“With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision,” Newsom posted on X, calling Harris “Tough. Fearless. Tenacious.”
Newsom has previously stated he has no plans to run for president, but has embarked on Biden campaign stops that have raised his national profile in recent weeks. While he was a top surrogate for Biden’s reelection campaign, it is unclear at this time if he will have a role in Harris’s campaign.
