Gavin Newsom And Kamala Harris Publicly Beef
The disagreement itself is minor, but the way it’s being revisited adds a sharper edge.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed back this week on how Vice President Kamala Harris described a brief exchange between them in her memoir, 107 Days. The moment in question centers on the hours after President Joe Biden exited the 2024 race—a scramble where every conversation carried weight.
In her account, Harris wrote that Newsom texted, “Hiking. Will call back,” but never followed up. Newsom tells a different version. According to him, he responded with a message making clear he had already publicly endorsed her and didn’t see himself as someone she needed to consult in that moment.
His response wasn’t framed as a direct accusation, but he didn’t ignore the discrepancy either. He suggested Harris added the detail to give the story more texture, hinting that it may have served the book more than the record. The implication was subtle but clear: the exchange, as written, wasn’t entirely accurate.
📚 NEW on The Axios Show: Gavin Newsom downplayed a rift with Kamala Harris, but chided her for how she portrayed him in her book:
"I think it created some color for the book. It certainly helped her book sales — not my component part, but that book has done unbelievably well." pic.twitter.com/IgXOdnHNEt
— Axios (@axios) March 26, 2026
At the same time, Newsom stopped short of escalating the situation into a broader dispute. He emphasized that their relationship stretches back decades, long before either held national prominence. He pointed to his role at the Democratic National Convention, where he formally helped deliver her the nomination, as evidence that whatever tension exists hasn’t overridden their political alignment.
Still, the timing matters. Both figures are widely viewed as potential contenders for the 2028 presidential race, and even small points of friction take on added significance in that context. Newsom acknowledged a kind of informal hierarchy between them, noting that Harris would likely take precedence if both pursued the same political lane.
There’s also a parallel track running beneath the exchange: both are now authors with books in circulation. Newsom is promoting his own memoir, Young Man in a Hurry, and admitted he hasn’t fully read Harris’s book while focusing on his own release.
The result is a dispute that doesn’t rise to the level of a full break but doesn’t entirely disappear either. A single text message—whether sent, ignored, or reframed—has become a small but telling detail in a relationship now viewed through the lens of future competition.