Despite rumors of Gavin Newsom (D-CA) being a possible vice presidential pick for Kamala Harris, the 12th amendment can keep the governor from being selected.
Although California Gov. Gavin Newsom has long been considered a top contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, the focus has now shifted to whether he might be Kamala Harris’ running mate after President Biden abruptly suspended his re-election campaign.
As concerns about President Biden’s mental acuity and age grew following his poor debate performance against former President Trump in June, Newsom repeatedly denied rumors of running a so-called “shadow campaign,” which many speculated he was conducting since his debate with GOP presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year.
Now that VP Harris has taken over the Democratic Party ticket’s helm and garnered enough support from delegates to become the party’s nominee to face off against Trump, many have suggested Newsom could be back in consideration for a spot in the White House.
But is Newsom really out of the running to be Harris’ VP? The 12th Amendment could be a potential hurdle.
Ratified in 1804, it addresses the procedures for electing the president and vice president in response to issues that arose in the country’s early elections. It established that electors would cast separate ballots for president and vice president, rather than two votes for president as previously required.
If the president and running mate are from the same state, however, electors from that state cannot cast votes for both offices. This rule ensures that the electors from the home state of the nominees cannot affect the outcome of the election for both positions.
