Kamala Harris' ex-boyfriend Willie Brown warns it'll be 'difficult' for her to win California governor's race as she gets cold feet
By Charlie Spiering
Daily Mail
Jul 25, 2025
Former Vice President Kamala Harris' boyfriend and political mentor Willie Brown said it would be 'difficult' for her to win the race for governor of California, even as she considers running for the open seat next year.
'I really do hope, frankly that she comes to that reality. She may not want to run for governor of the state of California,' Brown revealed in a podcast interview. 'That may not be where she should be going. I think it's going to be difficult for her to win that job.'
Harris has indicated she will make a decision about the race for governor of California this summer, but has largely removed herself from the political conversation.
Brown indicated that Harris did not have the executive leadership experience to run for the office, after serving as vice president of the United States.
'There’s just so many really talented people thinking about that job,' Brown said, listing other California Democrats who had already entered the race.
He singled out former Los Angeles mayoral candidate and businessman Rick Caruso, as a serious candidate.
'That is a really talented guy, with great executive potential,' he said.
Brown chuckled and said he had gotten into 'real trouble' in the past for giving Harris public political advice, but could not resist weighing in on her political career.
'She is bold enough, tough enough, and well-informed enough that if she would utilize that talent, she would not need a person like me giving her advice, period. She would be doing what needs to be done,' he added.
Brown recalled that he once recommended Harris turn down the opportunity to serve as vice president in 2020, if the then-Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden offered her the job.
He suggested her talents were more suited to the legal field, and should have chosen to serve as Biden's attorney general instead.
'From the attorney generalship, you may land where you, I suspect, are most talented, and that's the Supreme Court, and you could easily become chief justice of the Supreme Court,' Brown said, recalling his advice to Harris, who was a senator from California at the time.
'I think she stopped speaking to me after that,' he added wryly.
Brown famously dated the 29-year-old Kamala Harris when he was 60, as he was leaving his Speaker position in the state legislature and ran for mayor of San Francisco.
When they dated, Brown was considered the most powerful politician in California, and although he was still married, he was estranged to his wife Blanche, who lived in a separate home from him.
While they were dating, Brown appointed Harris to two different state boards, which paid her more than $400,000 over five years.
Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris reacts during a gala in San Francisco, California
Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the State of the People POWER Tour opening ceremony
Their romance also opened up the doors for Harris to develop relationships with the rich and powerful in the state, priming her national political career.
Brown and Harris separated after he won his race for mayor, but he continued to quietly support her political endeavors as she ran for district attorney of San Francisco, attorney general of California, and then California's U.S. Senate seat in 2016.
When Harris prepared to run for president in the 2020 presidential election, Brown addressed their relationship in a newspaper column
'I certainly helped with her first race for district attorney in San Francisco,' Brown wrote in January 2019. 'I have also helped the careers of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and a host of other politicians.'
Brown served as San Francisco’s first black mayor from 1996 to 2004.
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