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California Gov. Gavin Newsom endorses Kamala Harris for president

Posted at 10:39 PM, Feb 15, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-15 22:39:06-05

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is endorsing Kamala Harris, who represents the Golden State in the US Senate, for president in 2020.

Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor, said in an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes on Friday that he has known Harris for decades and she did “an extraordinary job with a very progressive record” as district attorney of San Francisco.

“I watched her up close as lieutenant governor when she served as attorney general and I’ve had the privilege of working with her as a US senator. I think the American people could not do better,” Newsom said.

California is poised to play a larger role in the primaries this election cycle now that it has moved up its primary from June to March. The state’s previous date had meant California was one of the last states to vote in presidential primaries, by which point major-party nominees had already essentially been chosen.

Harris was viewed as the Democrat most likely to secure the party’s presidential nominationin CNN’s most recent 2020 rankings.