Waiting On Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris

The exact timing of Sen. Barbara Boxer’s (D-CA) retirement announcement caught California Democrats off-guard — and launched a fluid, high-stakes decision making process by Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), BuzzFeed reports.

“The situation is more fluid than it is opaque. Most expect one to run for Senate in 2016, and the other for governor in 2018, succeeding Jerry Brown. In interviews this weekend, people close to Newsom and Harris described a fast-changing, somewhat uncomfortable three-day period of deliberation in which each has sought advice and consulted family, while navigating the concentric circles of their shared political universe, of which there are plenty.”

“Still, there is no ‘deal’ between Newsom and Harris. No ‘smoke-filled room,’ no secret pact that would install one as senator and the other as governor. The two Democrats, who share a long and complicated history, have not even spoken directly since before Boxer announced her retirement, according to a person familiar with their correspondence.”