Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris have both publicly left the 2028 door ajar, trading cautious political positioning for hints of ambition while the Democratic Party wrestles with leadership questions after a bruising 2024. This piece walks through what they said, how their party looks from the outside, and how Donald Trump has already weighed in on a possible Newsom bid. The tone is straightforward: Republicans see weakness and chaos where Democrats offer wishful thinking.
Newsom was blunt when pressed about 2028: “Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise,” Newsom told “CBS News Sunday Morning” when asked if he would give “serious thought” to a 2028 presidential run after the 2026 midterms. “I’d just be lying. And I’m not — I can’t do that.” He then leaned into an odd mix of self-deprecation and swagger about his path: “The idea that a guy who got 960 on his SAT, that still struggles to read scripts, that was always in the back of the classroom, the idea that you would even throw that out is, in and of itself, extraordinary. Who the hell knows? I’m looking forward to who presents themselves in 2028 and who meets that moment. And that’s the question for the American people.”
Those comments read like a candid admission that Newsom is exploring options while holding back until the political math improves. He’s been talked about as a national candidate for years, and after the messy 2024 cycle the Democrats need a face who looks electable. From a conservative perspective, Newsom’s California governance—marked by expensive boondoggles, wildfires, and perpetual dysfunction—makes him a vulnerable standard-bearer.
Kamala Harris made similar noises in a recent BBC interview, refusing to close the book on running again. “I am not done,” Harris told the British outlet. “I have lived my entire career as a life of service, and it’s in my bones.” She suggested optimism about a woman’s chances in the White House, saying her grandnieces would see the first female president “in their lifetime, for sure,” and that she could “possibly” be that woman.
Harris has not been shy about dismissing the critics and the numbers. “If I listened to polls I would have not run for my first office, or my second office — and I certainly wouldn’t be sitting here.” That line is used to frame resilience, but the reality is polls reflect deep trouble for Democrats trying to rally around a fresh leader after Biden’s exit and the party’s very public identity crisis following 2024.
Republicans are not naive about the competition. President Trump, already back in the spotlight as a two-term leader, said he’d welcome a Newsom challenge while pointing out the obvious vulnerabilities: “I would love him to run for president,” he said. “I’d love to see that, but I don’t think he’s going to be running because that one project alone — well, that, and the fires and a lot of other things — pretty much put him out of the race.” The high-speed rail disaster, the fire seasons, and chronic policy failures give conservatives plenty of ammunition.
The calculus for both Democrats is messy: a party fractured by memoirs, bitter primary moments, and a search for a clear, electable message. Newsom and Harris are jockeying for position while voters watch budgets, border news, and the economy to judge who can actually lead. The coming midterms and the next two years will decide whether these flirtations become full campaigns or just more political theater, and Republican observers will be waiting to point out every vulnerability.
