Former Vice President Kamala Harris has released a new book titled “107 Days,” which offers a candid look at her brief 2024 presidential campaign and critiques several aspects of her own party. Harris reflects on her decision not to confront former President Joe Biden about his choice of whether or not to seek re-election. Biden had been under pressure after questions about his age, cognitive state, and ability to serve out another term, which ultimately led to him dropping out of the race and endorsing Harris.
“Was that grace to not bring it up to him or was it reckless and on my part I do reflect on that and feel that it was there was a recklessness about not raising it with him,” Harris said on Good Morning America.
The book has raised some eyebrows among Democrats. Former Obama adviser David Axelrod Politico, “If there’s a political strategy here, it’s a bad one.”
Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro, appearing on Stephen A. Smith’s new political show, also seemed to suggest Harris would have to take accountability for not having some of the conversations about re-election with former President Biden.
“She’s going to have to answer to how she was in the room and yet never said anything publicly,” he told Smith, while also saying he had not yet read the book.
Harris also reveals her decision to pass over former as her vice-presidential pick. She writes, “But we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man. Part of me wanted to say, Screw it, let’s just do it. But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk.”
“To be a black woman running for president of the United States, and as a vice presidential running mate, a gay man. With the stakes being so high, it made me very sad. But I also realized it would be a real risk,” Harris told MSNBC.
Buttigieg expressed surprise at the excerpt.
“I just believe in giving Americans more credit than that. My experience in politics has been that the way that you earn trust with voters is based mostly on what they think you’re going to do for their lives, not on categories,” he told Politico.
The book does not address Harris’ political future. She has declined to run for Governor of California and says she’s currently focused on her book tour.
