Axelrod: Losing a Governor’s Race Would Have Been the End of Kamala Harris’ Political Career

Collins: “And, Axe, I just wonder what you make of of this statement, if you were surprised by what Harris decided.”
AXELROD: “I wasn‘t particularly surprised by it. You know, when I saw it, I thought of something that my old pal James Carville once said, which is, running for president is like sex. You don‘t just do it once and forget about it. Kamala Harris has run for president twice, in 2020, and in 2024 she came within a point and a half of the presidency. And running for governor of California, as powerful a position as it is, would be a step back. So, it wasn‘t surprising to me. And it‘s clear that you read her statement, that she is setting herself up to run. And, Kaitlan, she will begin as the polling leader in any race for president just by dint of having been the nominee of the last time. But a lot of Democrats want to turn the page on all of that and look forward, and so it‘s not going to be easy for her. But it wouldn‘t have been a slam dunk in a governor‘s race either. And losing a governor‘s race would have been the end of her political career.”
Collins: “Yeah, that’s a good point, in terms of making the calculation here.”