Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) recently went fly fishing with CNN's Jake Tapper, and the interview aired on Monday. During their chat, they obviously talked about 2028. We all know that Newsom wants to be president and has been eyeing his moment to run. Yet when Tapper pointed out he’s not the only Californian considering running and specifically mentioned Kamala Harris, Newsom said, “I don't know if she runs, but we'll see. I wouldn't run if she ran.”
Even Tapper was surprised by this.
“If she runs, you will not?” he asked.
“Of course not. Why would I? I wouldn't do that to her,” he insisted. “I wouldn't waste everyone's time. Who needs that?”
He even argued that a primary with both of them would be a “gift from God for everybody else. They'd enjoy the hell out of it. Mutual assured destruction. It services no greater good.”
Pressed on why he'd step aside rather than compete, Newsom insisted, "I know her base of supporters, I know her friends, the Zen [sic] diagram on that is just pure crossover. I wouldn't do that to people."
Newsom tells @jaketapper he won’t run in 2028 if Kamala Harris runs. pic.twitter.com/auDjNdBlyr
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) September 14, 2026
I’m not buying it.
Newsom has never actually run for president. Kamala Harris has twice. And failed twice. There’s little reason to believe that third time is the charm. A smarter candidate would have a hard time making the case for themselves, and Kamala is nobody’s idea of a smart candidate.
So what’s Newsom playing at here?
Recommended: James Talarico Shouldn’t Be Allowed Near Children
Presidential candidates typically announce within six months of a midterm election. As for Newsom, 2028 is his key opportunity to run. He's termed out of Sacramento in January 2027, so for the first time he won't have to fake running a state while running for president. Obviously, that's the best window he's ever going to get. But if he has to wait until 2032, and he's an ex-governor with no office left to launch a presidential campaign from, it'll be harder, but not impossible.
But if a Democrat runs and wins in 2028, he won’t even get a chance to run again until 2036, which means he’ll spend nearly a decade out of office fighting for relevance as a regular guest on MS NOW while Democrats in Congress and serving as governors get far more attention and are much better positioned to launch a presidential campaign.
Do you really think he's going to give up his chance for Kamala?
His excuse doesn’t add up. The question isn't whether Newsom means it when he says he'd step aside for Kamala; it's what he's actually signaling by saying it at all.
Maybe it's a warning shot: declare now, or get in line behind him. More likely, Newsom is telling on himself. He knows Kamala would probably beat him in a Democrat primary, because identity politics still carries real weight in their party. He also knows she can't and won’t win a general election. If there’s any Democrat he would sideline himself for, it’s Kamala because she’s not the biggest threat to his presidential ambitions, just a bit of a speed bump.
I get why Newsom wants this to sound magnanimous, but it’s really not. As far as I'm concerned, it's Newsom betting that no Democrat can beat Kamala in a primary and that she can't win a general election.
