Harris’ Memoir Unleashes Sharp Attacks on 2028 Rivals in Unvarnished Campaign Tell-All

From Josh Shapiro’s ambition to Gavin Newsom’s silence, Kamala Harris’ 107 Days offers score-settling accounts of the Democrats’ 2024 power struggle.

WASHINGTON | Former Vice President Kamala Harris is rewriting the post-2024 narrative in her new memoir, 107 Days, an elbow-throwing political diary that spares few allies and rivals as the Democratic Party braces for its next chapter.

The memoir, set for release next week, chronicles Harris’s whirlwind campaign following President Joe Biden’s abrupt exit from the race. While offering insight into her own failed presidential bid, Harris leveled pointed criticism at several high-profile Democrats seen as potential contenders for the 2028 nomination.

Naming Names: From Shapiro to Newsom

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a rising star, is described as “poised, polished, and personable,” yet too ambitious — pressing for a hands-on vice-presidential role that Harris feared would overshadow her presidency. She further accused him of a “lack of discretion” during the vetting process, citing an incident in which his official vehicles were filmed outside the vice president’s residence.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is often considered both a friend and a rival, comes across as aloof. Harris noted that in the crucial hours after Biden dropped out, her calls to Newsom went unanswered — the governor texted he was “hiking” and “would call back,” but never did. Though Newsom eventually endorsed Harris, she all but erased him from her memoir, a striking omission given their decades-long parallel careers.

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly receives warmer words — Harris called him “magnetic” — but she admits she worried about how his military record could be used against him in a modern campaign.

The Running Mate Dilemma

Perhaps most revealing are Harris’s reflections on her vice-presidential shortlist. She confesses her first choice was former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, praising his political skills and his husband, Chasten. Yet Harris decided America might not be ready for a ticket featuring both a Black woman and a gay man.

Instead, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz emerged as the consensus choice. Harris said Walz’s humility, authenticity, and lack of personal ambition made him the safest partner for her high-stakes bid.

A Memoir of Settling Scores

Throughout 107 Days, Harris does more than recount strategy sessions. She sharpens a narrative of frustration with Biden’s decision to run again, lambasts internal party hesitation, and memorializes the speed at which endorsements — or delays — revealed allies’ true loyalties.

By forgoing an index, Harris forces readers to comb through the text to see who earned praise, criticism, or omission. It’s a symbolic choice that mirrors the unsettled state of the Democratic Party — one still grappling with its 2024 collapse and already jockeying for 2028 supremacy.

As the memoir hits shelves, one certainty emerges: Harris’ book is less a goodbye than an opening shot in the long Democratic succession fight.

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-- By Jasmine Thomas

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