Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) said he would not seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 if former Vice President Kamala Harris enters the race, arguing that the two would compete for many of the same supporters.
Newsom Rules Out 2028 Run Against Harris
On Monday, California Democrate made the comments during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper while fly fishing in Montana, where he discussed his potential 2028 presidential bid and what could influence his decision.
Asked if he would run if Harris entered the race, Newsom said, “I wouldn’t run if she ran.”
“Why would I?” he said. “I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t do it to me. … I won’t waste everyone’s time. Who needs that?”
Newsom described a potential contest as “mutual assured destruction” and argued that Republicans would welcome a fight between the two Democrats.
“Electorally it’s a gift from God for everybody else,” he said. “They’d enjoy the hell out of it.”
Newsom Says Harris Fight Would Help Republicans
The interviewer raised the counterargument that Harris launched her first presidential campaign in 2019 but did not make it to the 2020 primary, before running again in 2024 and losing the election.
“That would be the case you’d make,” Newsom acknowledged. “Pretty good one, actually. That’s objectively true.”
However, he said their supporters substantially overlap.
“I know her base of supporters, I know her friends, the (Venn) diagram on that is just pure crossover,” he said.
He added, “I wouldn’t do that to people. I wouldn’t put them in that position… Every other Democrat is praying for that, and every other Republican is gonna pray for that. And that’s just not gonna happen.”
He also said he did not challenge former President Joe Biden in 2024 because he lacked a compelling reason.
“I wasn’t ready,” Newsom said. “I didn’t have a why. You don’t have big enough why, then you don’t belong there.”
Kalshi Favored Democratic Sweep
In July, prediction market Kalshi gave Democrats a 49% chance of sweeping the 2028 elections by winning the White House, House and Senate, compared with 20% for Republicans.
A Democratic president and House with a Republican Senate was the third-most likely outcome at 12%.
Kalshi contracts reflected traders’ implied probabilities, with a “Yes” contract for a Democratic sweep trading at about 50 cents and a Republican sweep contract near 20 cents. The market represented traders’ expectations rather than an official forecast or opinion poll.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Sheila Fitzgerald / Shutterstock
