Gavin Newsom’s Text To Kamala Harris Is Going Viral For Obvious Reasons
Proof that an unexpected text message can send anyone into a spiral.
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign trail memoir, 107 Days, was released on Tuesday, Sept. 23. In recounting her historic and unexpected candidacy, Harris details her interactions with fellow Democratic lawmakers during the frenzied hours that followed Biden’s sudden exit from the race.
One particular conversation — or lack thereof — has quickly gone viral. In the book, Harris reveals that when she called California Governor Gavin Newsom to request his endorsement, he didn’t pick up. Instead, he texted: “Hiking. Will call back.”
During a press conference in California, Newsom dismissed Harris’s critiques of his unresponsiveness, calling the phone tag “trivial.” He explained that he declined Harris’s call because it came from an unknown number, adding, “At that exact same moment, I was working with my team to put out a statement to endorse her.”
This statement he referenced was released just hours after Biden dropped out last July, making Newsom among the first to endorse Harris’s presidential candidacy.
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“I assume that’s in the book as well,” Newsom said of his endorsement. Spoiler alert: it is not.
As you’d expect, people have lots of thoughts about this. Some are speculating that Newsom wished he were the nominee himself.
Others consider the missed call insignificant, especially given Newsom’s subsequent endorsement of Harris.
In the subreddit r/Fauxmoi, many expressed worry that Harris’s framing of events — downplaying Newsom’s political support while emphasizing his temporary unresponsiveness — could have troubling implications for Democratic unity.
Personally, the whole hiking thing gave me flashbacks to 2016 when Hillary Clinton’s first public sighting after conceding the election was on a hike near her home in Chappaqua, NY. Maybe Newsom’s hike was poorly timed, but I’ll admit the urge to flee to the woods in the middle of political upheaval is kind of relatable.
Thoughts?
