Inside Kamala Harris' affair with Democrat Willie Brown and his prophecy about her White House future
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In late 2019, Kamala Harris' presidential campaign ended abruptly. At the time, her former lover and California political heavyweight, Willie Brown, advised her against accepting a vice-presidential offer, fearing it would extinguish her future White House aspirations.
Willie Brown's warning and the status quo
Willie Brown, the former San Francisco mayor, who is now 90, wrote an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle, advising Harris to decline Joe Biden’s 2020 offer for the vice presidency. He cautioned that historically, the vice presidency had been a dead end for many politicians.
Brown stated, "The glory would be short-lived, and historically, the vice presidency has often ended up being a dead end. For every George HW Bush, who ascended from the job to the presidency, there’s an Al Gore, who never got there."
Fast forward to the present, Democrats are reconsidering Harris as a potential presidential candidate. Following a lackluster performance by President Biden in a recent debate, there is a growing sentiment within the party that Harris might be the solution.
Despite her behind-the-scenes unpopularity and poor polling numbers, her position as vice president now makes her a prime candidate to replace Biden on the 2024 ticket.
Democratic operatives are already preparing for this potential shift. They have even begun discussing possible running mates for Harris. The list includes governors Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, JB Pritzker of Illinois, and Tim Walz of Minnesota, according to CNN.
Additionally, a Google document titled 'Unburdened by What Has Been: The Case for Kamala' is circulating among Democratic circles. The document outlines a strategic plan for a Harris presidential campaign and states, "There’s one path out of this mess, and it’s Kamala."
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican candidate, has not hesitated to criticize Harris.
In a July 4th message, Trump mocked Harris's past relationship with Brown, stating, "Respects to our potentially new Democrat Challenger, Laffin' Kamala Harris. She did poorly in the Democrat Nominating process, starting at Number Two, and ending up defeated and dropping out, even before getting to Iowa, but that doesn't mean she's not a 'highly talented' politician. Just ask her Mentor, the Great Willie Brown of San Francisco."
The Harris-Brown relationship
Throughout her career, Harris has had to confront her past relationship with Brown, which some have claimed was a significant factor in her political ascent. The relationship ended in the mid-1990s, but Harris has often had to address it, once describing Brown as "an albatross hanging around my neck."
Brown was separated from his wife Blanche Vitero for more than a decade when he and Harris dated. Their relationship was public knowledge, and Brown openly acknowledged it in a January 2019 op-ed titled, "Sure, I dated Kamala Harris. So what?"
In the article, Brown admitted, "Yes, we dated. It was more than 20 years ago. And I certainly helped with her first race for district attorney in San Francisco. I have also helped the careers of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and a host of other politicians."
During their relationship, Brown appointed Harris to two important positions: the California Medical Assistance Commission, which paid $72,000 a year, and the state's Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, worth $97,088 a year. These appointments were noted in a 1994 Los Angeles Times article, which mentioned Harris as Brown's girlfriend at the time.
Despite their breakup in 1995, Harris continued to benefit from Brown's support. She was elected as San Francisco's first black district attorney in 2004. However, Brown's endorsement often brought accusations of cronyism, which Harris vigorously denied.
In a 2003 interview, she asserted her independence from Brown, saying, "His career is over. I will be alive and kicking for the next 40 years. I do not owe him a thing."
Harris's career continued to rise as she became California's attorney general in 2010 and later a US senator in 2016. Brown even intervened during her Senate race, urging her potential opponent, Antonio Villaraigosa, to stay out of the race.
Brown never divorced his wife, despite having a child with another woman in 2001. Harris married entertainment lawyer Doug Emhoff in 2014, the Daily Mail reported.
