‘I’m not going anywhere’: Kamala Harris steps back into the fight
Former Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance at Leading Women Defined, a leadership summit for Black women, in California Thursday, telling the audience that she plans to stay in the fight.
“I’ll see you out there. I’m not going anywhere,” she said.
In her first public appearance since the November election, Harris urged the audience to have courage of their convictions.
“Courage is contagious,” she said.
Continuing, Harris said that “these are the things that we are witnessing each day in these last few months in our country. And it understandably creates a great sense of fear. Because, you know, there were many things that we knew would happen. Many things—I’m not gonna say ‘I told you so.’”
“I swore I wasn’t going to say that,” she added.
The speech reaffirmed reports that Harris plans to remain active in politics. According to Politico, Harris privately told her allies that “I am staying in the fight.”
Speculation surrounding her potential bid to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been a major topic of discussion. On Wednesday, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra announced his plans to join the race, saying he did not take into account whether Harris plans to run.
Regardless of what happens with California’s gubernatorial race, one thing is certain: Harris isn’t going anywhere.