Kamala Harris’ new memoir, 107 Days, is shaking up the Democratic Party, and not everyone is happy about it. The former vice president’s tell-all doesn’t just recount her historic but unsuccessful presidential run; it also throws punches at fellow Democrats and Biden loyalists, which is naturally not taken well by many.
Harris spares few in her candid retelling. One of the central threads in her book is President Biden’s fraught re-election campaign and his eventual decision to withdraw and back Harris.
Harris recalls, “Of all the people in the White House, I was in the worst position to make the case that he should drop out,” attributing this insight to Biden himself, as reported by The Atlantic. This hesitation, along with Harris’ noted silence about Biden’s prospects, has irritated key figures in the party.
Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro was blunt in his criticism during an appearance on Stephen A. Smith’s Straight Shooter podcast. Addressing Harris’ lack of public objection while pivotal decisions were made, Shapiro commented, “She will have to answer to how she was in the room and yet never said anything publicly.” It’s a point that has become a rallying cry among Harris’ critics within her own ranks.
But Harris doesn’t limit her critiques to Biden or the administration. Her book aims at other potential 2028 contenders, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg.
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Harris reveals she had considered Buttigieg as her running mate but was concerned about the message it might send to the electorate. She writes, “Buttigieg would have been an ideal partner—if I were a straight white man,” hinting at the fact that she felt that Americans might not accept both a Black woman and a gay man on the ticket.
Buttigieg, for his part, told Politico he was “surprised” by Harris’ remarks, adding, “My experience in politics has been that the way that you earn trust with voters is based mostly on what they think you’re going to do for their lives, not on categories”. The former transportation secretary’s response highlights a generational and philosophical divide among the party’s top names.
EXCLUSIVE: @PeteButtigieg responds to Harris’s revelations about why she didn’t choose him as her VP.
“I just believe in giving Americans more credit than that,” he tells our @adamwren. pic.twitter.com/9lmvz315Yj
— POLITICO (@politico) September 18, 2025
Newsom, too, finds himself scrutinized in Harris’ memoir, especially for his failure to promptly return her call on the chaotic day when Biden stepped aside. Newsom explained to reporters that he received a call from an unrecognized number while already drafting a statement to endorse Harris. “That exact same moment, [I] was working with my team to draft a statement,” he quipped to Politico, adding with a touch of sarcasm, “I assume that’s in the book as well”.
With the book not leaving anyone out of Kamala’s criticism, it now remains to be seen how the ties within the Democratic party are affected by the same.
