I think the DNC was caught between two kinds of politics: machine and identity. The party is very interested with controlling everything, but they couldn't take the nomination from the first black Vice President. Michelle would not run, and so it would presume that to keep dark horses and other members challenging The VP, something had to have been offered or promised. Also the optics of someone like Newsome, white, affluent, and male, challenging the first black woman etc. etc. It doesn't look good for democrats and could have been very messy.

Kamala, for better or for worse, was their only choice.