Peak Atlas is that people are unironically speculating about Harris. Also the Vice-President is a member of the Senate as its President, so it would be a clear downgrade and probably leave Biden without the VP and Senate tiebreaker for the rest of his term.
There’s strategic value to Harris filling the vacancy. Newsom gets to keep his promise of appointing a black woman. Biden gets to replace Harris with someone like Whitmer who could be of strategic importance in 2024 and is a far more suitable successor.
