Newsom Won't Run in 2028 if Harris Does
Newsom Won't Run in 2028 if Harris Does
The News
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he will not run for president in 2028 if former Vice President Kamala Harris runs again, because he does not want a fight between two California Democrats.
Newsom made the pledge in an interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, conducted while the two were fishing.
"I wouldn't run if she ran," the governor said, according to Wire's account of the interview.
He described a competing run as "Mutual assured destruction. It services no greater good."
Timeline
Harris runs for president as the Democratic nominee after serving as vice president; Newsom emerges from that cycle as one of the party's most talked-about 2028 prospects.
Politico, the Washington Examiner, the New York Post and Mediaite report on Newsom's interview with Tapper, in which he rules out a 2028 bid if Harris enters the race.
Reactions
Newsom framed the decision as a matter of party arithmetic rather than personal deference, saying a head-to-head race with Harris would serve "no greater good."
Tapper pressed him on the point that Harris has already run for president twice — a record Newsom acknowledged would be a strong argument for her candidacy.
The New York Post called the answer a "bombshell," casting Harris as the one factor that could sink Newsom's expected campaign.
What's Next
Everything now hinges on Harris. She has made no formal announcement about a 2028 candidacy, and Newsom's pledge only binds him if she gets in.
The Washington Examiner reports that many analysts view another Harris run as close to certain — which would, on Newsom's own terms, take the governor out of the field.
More
Newsom also said the decision is not his alone: he told Tapper that two of his four children, who range in age from 10 to 17, currently oppose a presidential run.
Seven news outlets across the political spectrum — from Politico on the center-left to the New York Post and Washington Examiner on the right — covered the remarks within an hour of the interview, a measure of how closely the Democratic field is being watched two years out.
Poll
Should Newsom stand aside if Harris runs in 2028?
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