California Gov. Gavin Newsom endorses Sen. Kamala Harris' bid for U.S. presidency

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When then-Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom ran for governor in 2018, Sen. Kamala Harris endorsed him.

UPDATED: 12 p.m., Feb. 16, to include Barbara Lee endorsement.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Friday (Feb. 15) evening he is endorsing  his one-time rival Sen. Kamala Harris’ (D-Calif.) bid for president and will be one of the campaigns' California co-chairs.

“I’ll be endorsing her candidacy for president. I know her well, I’ve known her for decades, not only as district attorney where she did an extraordinary job with a very progressive record, but I watched her up close as lieutenant governor, when she served as attorney general, and I have the privilege of working with her as a U.S. senator,” Newsom told MSNBC host Chris Hayes.

Both Newsom and Harris came out of the rough and tumble arena of San Francisco politics. Newsom, a former mayor of San Francisco, and Harris, the city's former District Attorney, were both mentioned in the same breath as rival candidates for governor and for senator but they apparently worked ut a political agreement.

Newsom's endorsement was political payback because during Newsom's campaign for governor, Harris endorsed his candidacy.

With the California primary moved up from June to March, the state could make or break candidates early during the 2020 presidential campaign because of its huge electoral prize. Newsom's endorsement solidifies the California senator's bid for the state's voters.

“I think the American people could not do better,” said Newsom of Harris' candidacy for President of the United States.

Additionally, Harris scored major points in the black community with the Friday endorsement from Rep. Barbara Lee , a major boost for Harris’ nascent campaign. It’s not just that Lee represents Harris’ Oakland launching pad, has serious progressive cred and chaired the Congressional Black Caucus, which could be significant given that the caucus is currently split between endorsing Harris or New Jersey's Sen. Cory Booker.
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