Podcaster Reveals Willie Brown’s Candid Take on Kamala Harris’ Political Future

Podcaster Jon Slavet joined Los Angeles news anchor Elex Michaelson this week to discuss his recent wide-ranging interview with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown—one of the most influential figures in California politics and a longtime mentor to Vice President Kamala Harris. The conversation quickly became headline-worthy after Slavet shared Brown’s surprisingly blunt assessment of Harris’ future prospects in the state and national arenas.

A clip of the interview circulated earlier in the week, showing Brown telling Slavet that he doubts California’s governorship is the right path for Harris. “She may not want to run for governor of the state of California,” Brown said in the recording. “That may not be where she should be going. I think it’s going to be difficult for her to win that job.”

Michaelson pressed Slavet on the significance of Brown’s remarks, especially given Brown’s longstanding connection to Harris—both politically and personally. “What did Willie Brown say to you about Kamala Harris? Because there was a lot there,” Michaelson asked.

Slavet responded with admiration for Brown’s continued sharpness: “First of all, kudos to Willie—age 91, still going strong, still sharp. I think that’s amazing.” He then recounted Brown’s unexpectedly candid view of Harris’ strengths and weaknesses. “He said he doesn’t think governor is a fit for her. He talked about her strengths in the legal world, but not as an executive. That was pretty stunning, because this is a guy who knows her very well. He’s a legend in Democratic politics, and he genuinely cares about California’s future. And he basically said she should be looking in a different direction.”

Michaelson then brought up one of the most eyebrow-raising revelations from Slavet’s interview: that Brown had urged Harris to turn down Joe Biden’s offer of the vice presidency in 2020. “He also said to you that he told her that when Joe Biden offered her the vice presidency, that she should turn it down and try to be the attorney general instead,” Michaelson noted.

“He did,” Slavet confirmed. “He even laughed about it—he’s got a kind of knowing chuckle. He said, ‘I got in trouble for this when I said it.’ But he told me that when she asked his advice, he recommended telling Biden she’d prefer to be attorney general. He thinks her strengths are in the legal world, not in an executive role. And that’s an important distinction right now when you consider what California needs.”

Michaelson pointed out that Brown went even further, suggesting that if Harris had become attorney general, she might have ultimately been appointed to the Supreme Court—another role he believes she would excel in. But Brown also revealed that after he gave her that advice, Harris stopped returning his calls. “That was apparently not the advice she wanted to hear,” Michaelson said.

Turning to Harris’ future, Michaelson asked Slavet what people across California are saying about her next steps now that she’s no longer vice president and is reportedly weighing whether to run for California governor or possibly mount another presidential bid down the line.

Slavet said insiders close to Harris have been monitoring her national image closely. “As of a few months ago, when she was still funded by the federal government as vice president—she had six months of post-VP support like staff and Secret Service protection—she was doing a lot of polling to understand her national standing heading toward 2028,” he said. “And from what I’ve been told, it does not look good.”

According to Slavet, Harris’ declining national numbers have intensified questions about whether a gubernatorial bid would offer a more viable route. “The obvious question is, what does she do next? California is such a heavily Democratic state with a strong party machine, so naturally people are asking whether she’ll jump into the race for governor. But her polling in the state hasn’t been strong either.”

For several weeks, political analysts and state insiders have speculated that Harris is trying to determine whether a run for governor would strengthen—or further weaken—her long-term prospects. At the same time, national polls show her standing slipping in both presidential and gubernatorial scenarios.

With Brown’s frank comments now public, the debate over Harris’ future is likely to intensify. And if Slavet’s interview is any indication, even those who have known her for decades are questioning what her next move should be—and whether California voters would ultimately support it.