Harris, Newsom appear in Oakland amid talk about future White House ambitions
OAKLAND – Back in the Bay Area, Vice President Kamala Harris held a press event in Oakland's Chabot Space and Science Center Friday. Among the people to join her at the event was Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Even though the presidential election is still a couple of years away, with President Joe Biden possibly running for a second term, political experts say Newsom and Harris are two likely future candidates for the White House.
In Harris' speech, where she pushed for new rules on regulating the commercial space industry, the vice president's first remark was about how the Biden administration is working to tackle inflation.
"Today, the House of Representatives will vote on the Inflation Reduction Act. I believe they have or about to," said Harris. "Soon, we will cap the cost of insulin for seniors to just $35 a month, which is a huge step toward making life manageable for so many people. We will reduce health insurance costs for 13 million Americans by an average of $800 a year."
Harris continues to show support for Biden and his plan to seek a second term in 2024.
Newsom, who also spoke at the event, has said he has no White House ambitions and believes Biden should run for re-election.
"Both of them are viable. And then the thing I would say that Vice President Harris has over Governor Newsom is that she is Vice President Harris. She is one seat removed from the presidency, if anything should happen for example," said political expert and retired SFSU professor Joseph Tuman.
Tuman said it would not be awkward for two long-time allies to seek the same seat.
"As long as the rhetoric is toned down. As long as the discussion is collegial and friendly. You can have a friendly disagreement with somebody," said Tuman. "It used to be the case that people who were running for president against each other were friends."