Gov. Gavin Newsom will not run in 2028 if former Vice President Kamala Harris decides to make another bid for the presidency.
Widely considered a top contender to become the next Democratic nominee for president, the California governor told CNN that a contest between him and Harris “doesn’t make sense.”
“I wouldn’t run if she ran,” Newsom said. “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 has laid miles of groundwork for a 2028 presidential campaign, recently visiting early primary and battleground states like South Carolina, in a “take it back” tour to rally base voters and confront Republican policies.
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He’s also positioned himself as a reliable Democratic surrogate, and has participated in media appearances to cement himself as an ideological foil to MAGA Republicans, including a televised debate against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Newsom said Monday contesting Harris for the nomination would be “a gift from God” to his political opponents.
“They’d enjoy the hell out of it — mutual assured destruction,” he said. “It services no greater good.”
Harris ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 2020 and again in 2024 after then-President Joe Biden dropped out of his reelection bid.
Correction: Kamala Harris ran for president in 2020 and 2024. A previous version of this story included a wrong year.
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