Gavin Newsom has been forced to call in the big guns to help him survive the recall election in a little over two weeks. President Joe Biden’s office has announced his intention to travel to California to stump for the beleaguered Governor and Vice President Harris has also been scheduled to participate in a pro-Newsom car rally (in which every participant must be vaccinated or have a negative COVID test) tomorrow in the Golden State. However, it looks like the crumbling situation at the White House has trickled down to the state level.

Harris’ team announced Thursday that after her visit to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam she would be immediately returning to Washington D.C.

Following the @VP’s visit to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam this afternoon, the Vice President will return to Washington D.C.

— SDS (@SymoneSanders46) August 26, 2021

Shortly afterward, Governor Newsom’s communications chief Nathan Click confirmed to Politico’s Carla Marinucci that Harris will not be in California tomorrow and the rally has been cancelled.

#Breaking! via @Click_CA: "The Vice President @KamalaHarris will not join Governor @GavinNewsom in California tomorrow. Tomorrow’s rally is cancelled. No further updates to share at this time."

— Carla Marinucci (@cmarinucci) August 26, 2021

Additionally, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff is cancelling his own events in Hawaii today as the White House grapples with the chaos in Afghanistan.

UPDATE: Doug Emhoff (@SecondGentleman) cancelling public events in #Hawaii today in light of ongoing situation in #Afghanistan @KITV4

— Tom George (@TheTomGeorge) August 26, 2021

With a little more than two weeks until election day and poll numbers inching towards a successful recall, Newsom is in need of all the help he can get. It isn’t hard to imagine that this news is greatly disappointing to the Newsom team.

There are three possible angles here:

1)Harris is looking for any excuse to stay out of the public eye and the Afghanistan situation is a good situation to exploit. She can claim she is needed back in the Capitol without having to face any possible negative Newsom polling as a result of her visit.

2)Newsom’s polling is raising red flags in federal Democrat circles and they prefer not to be intimately tied to a seemingly sinking ship should it officially go down.

3)Harris’ leadership is desperately needed in Washington D.C. during this time of crisis and she has no choice but to return.

You be the judge.