Gavin Newsom Promises Not To Run For President If Kamala Wants It
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would not run for president in 2028 if former Vice President Kamala Harris enters the race.
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“I wouldn’t run if she ran,” Newsom told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
Tapper later wrote that he was “stunned” by Newsom’s answer.
“Why would I?” Newsom continued. “I wouldn’t waste everyone’s time.”
Newsom said a contest between the two California Democrats would benefit Republicans and force their overlapping allies to pick sides.
“First of all, electorally, it’s a gift from God for everybody else,” Newsom said. “They’d enjoy the hell out of it. Mutually assured destruction. It serves no greater good.”
Tapper raised the counterargument that Harris unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in 2019 and then lost the 2024 presidential election, while Newsom has never run a national campaign.
“That would be the case you’d make,” Newsom replied. “Pretty good one, actually. That’s objectively true.”
“But I know what that means,” he continued. “I know her base of supporters. I know her friends. The Venn diagram on that is just pure crossover…I wouldn’t do that to people.”
Newsom’s declaration was more definitive than his answer in February, when CNN’s Dana Bash asked what would happen if his and Harris’ political ambitions collided in 2028.
“That’s — you know, fate will determine that,” Newsom shrugged. “And I’ve never gotten in the way of her ambition, ever. I haven’t. And I don’t imagine I would in the future.”
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Newsom did not make the same promise when Tapper raised another possible California contender, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna.
Newsom launched a national fundraising campaign last August that fueled speculation of a 2028 White House run. While the fund was intended to finance California’s redistricting efforts, its ads appeared across the country rather than in California, potentially allowing Newsom to build a national donor list.
Newsom also launched a podcast titled “This Is Gavin Newsom” last year, further expanding his national profile.
Last October, Newsom told CBS that he would give a presidential run “serious thought” after the midterm elections.
“I think the biggest challenge for anyone who runs for any office is people see right through you,” Newsom said. “If you don’t have that ‘why,’ you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.”
Harris has not decided whether she will seek the presidency again in 2028. In a recent interview, she said she remains focused on the midterms.
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