Mark Halperin joins ex-Dem strategist, Sean Spicer to warn Harris she’d likely ‘lose’ if she runs for California gov

Political analyst Mark Halperin joined former Democratic strategist Dan Turrentine and former White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Thursday in warning former Vice President Kamala Harris that her chances of securing the California governorship in 2026 are not strong.

Certain close Harris allies told The New York Times that the former vice president is more likely to run for California governor in 2026 than president again in 2028. However, all three hosts of “The Morning Meeting” said Harris would likely face defeat if she pursued the governorship, with Halperin saying a loss would be humiliating for her.

WATCH:

“I had an advance copy of that book, ‘Fight,’ by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes … If she ran for dogcatcher, she’d lose. It is so bad,” Spicer said. “When you start to read how horrible of a candidate she was, how the staff infighting, the inability to — I mean, I really don’t care what she runs for. I mean, her decision-making, her staffing, are atrocious … She couldn’t run for anything and win.”

“I do not think she’ll run for president. I think if she runs for governor, it will not be nearly as easy as she thinks it will,” Turrentine said. “And if I had to bet, I’d bet she loses running for governor for the reasons Sean said.”

Halperin said he completely agreed with both Spicer and Turrentine.

“If her friends are being honest with her, they’re going to say what Dan said, which is, ‘You can run for governor of California, but you might lose. And that would be not just embarrassing but like existential destabilizing,” he added.

Some Harris allies think the former vice president would easily win the race if she chooses to run, the NYT reported.

California Lieutenant Gov. Eleni Kounalakis is anticipated to withdraw from the race if Harris runs, according to the NYT. Moreover, former Democratic California Rep. Katie Porter has said Harris entering the race would “have a near field-clearing effect.”

Halperin also argued in December that Harris would likely have a better shot at winning the California governor’s race than the Democratic presidential nomination, but warned that neither path would be easy for her.

“I think her chance[s] of being governor of California are greater than being the Democratic nominee, but I don’t think they’re as great as people say, because again, her challenge is her weakness,” he said. “She does not like to make difficult choices under pressure, and that is the job description for running for governor of California, being governor of California, running for president, being president. So I think she might try, but I think she’d be surprised at how tough it is.”

 All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].

Latest posts by Jason Cohen (see all)

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.