California, Newsom have a lot riding on Biden VP choice

Gov. Gavin Newsom would be anointed a kingmaker — or queenmaker — if Joe Biden selected California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate.

That’s because Newsom, on his own, would select Harris’ Senate replacement if the Democratic presidential ticket won on Nov. 3. The U.S. Constitution gives governors that right.

If Biden instead chose another Californian, U.S. Rep. Karen Bass of Los Angeles, Newsom would not have a formal role in her replacement. Voters in her 37th Harris Congressional District would select a new representative in a special election.

So for Newsom and California, there’s a lot more riding on Biden’s decision than who fills out the Democratic presidential ticket.

Harris and Bass are among the women on the presumptive presidential nominee’s short list of potential running mates.

Others include former national security adviser Susan Rice, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

There’s heavy political pressure for Biden to choose a woman of color. Some Biden insiders think he should select a Black woman in this political atmosphere with the Black Lives Matter movement fighting hard for racial equality. That leaves Harris, Bass and Rice, who are Black, as the leading contenders. And the top two seem to be Harris and Rice.

Rice, 55, would be a good choice. The diplomat served in both the Clinton and Obama administrations in high-level foreign policy positions. She was Obama’s U.S. ambassador to the United Nations before becoming national security adviser. Biden got to know her well when he was Obama’s vice president.

Bass, 66, is very likable and evokes a positive attitude, is a liberal who can deal productively with Republicans — she initially proved that as California Assembly speaker — and has been a civil rights fighter all her career. But she’s relatively unknown, including to Biden. And she has never run for office outside her district, so there’s some question about how she’d fare in a bruising national campaign. I suspect darn well.

Harris, 55, is charismatic and can deliver a stinging campaign punch — Biden was stung by her in an early presidential debate. But she flopped running for president. And she carries baggage from unremarkable — critics say disappointing — stints as state attorney general and San Francisco district attorney.

Many political pros think Biden would be crazy to put any Californian on the ticket.

“He’d be well advised not to pick a Californian,” says Darry Sragow, a veteran Democratic strategist.

“One, it won’t add to his electoral votes because he already has California’s 55 in the bag. Two, most of the country doesn’t like California. They can’t relate to us and think we don’t relate to them,” Sragow said.

If Biden did choose Harris it would be a huge gift to Newsom. If the Biden-Harris ticket won — as current polls show is likely — he’d be able to reward a Democratic ally by choosing the senator’s successor. And if Newsom picked an elected statewide official — such as Attorney General Xavier Becerra or Secretary of State Alex Padilla — he’d get a twofer: He could also select their replacements, subject to legislative confirmation.

Newsom likes to be the “first” at things, and he could name the first Latino U.S. senator from California.

There’s also Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank, the House Intelligence Committee chairman who helped lead the impeachment of Trump. He’s on everyone’s potential Senate list. But he isn’t close to Newsom. Neither is another option: L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.

If Newsom wanted to replace Harris with another woman, Bass should top his list. Other possibilities include Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, state Controller Betty Yee, state Treasurer Fiona Ma, state Senate leader Toni Atkins of San Diego and L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, a former House member and U.S. labor secretary.

We can speculate on and on — at least until Biden ends the VP suspense.