California Gov. Gavin Newsom has identified the one Democrat whose presidential ambitions could keep him out of the 2028 race: former Vice President Kamala Harris.
During an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Monday, Newsom said he would not seek the Democratic nomination if Harris decides to run for president.
Newsom stressed, however, that his immediate attention remains on the 2026 midterm elections. He told Tapper that he plans to decide whether to pursue a 2028 presidential bid after the midterms.
“I wouldn’t run if she ran,” Newsom said during the informal conversation, which took place as he and Tapper went fly-fishing in Montana.
The comments come as Newsom is increasingly being discussed as a potential Democratic contender for the 2028 presidential race.
Although the California governor has said he will wait until after the 2026 midterms to make a decision, his latest remarks indicate that Harris’ plans will play a significant role in his own calculations.
Harris, for her part, has continued to leave open the possibility of launching another presidential campaign.
In her most recent comments, made on September 10, Harris told former U.S. women’s national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe on her podcast, What Are You Like?, that she “hasn’t decided” whether she will run in 2028.
Gavin Newsom said Monday that he would not run for president in 2028 if former Vice President Kamala Harris enters the race
Asked about a possible presidential campaign on September 10, Harris said her first priority was winning the 2026 midterm elections
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in August that he was “more inclined than not” to run for president in 2028
When Rapinoe asked whether she was considering another presidential bid, Harris replied, “From my perspective, ’28 doesn’t matter if we don’t win ’26.”
She reiterated her focus on the midterms, saying that “midterms, midterms, midterms” were filling her “thoughts, my mind and my work.”
The remarks put Harris and Newsom in an unusual position as they consider their political futures.
Two of the Democratic Party’s most prominent potential 2028 candidates are, for now, waiting to see how the 2026 midterm elections unfold before making their next moves.
Newsom has previously acknowledged that he is seriously considering a White House run.
In an interview with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell in October 2025, he said he would be ‘lying’ if he claimed he had not thought about running for president in 2028.
Other Democrats are also beginning to give clearer indications of how seriously they are considering a 2028 campaign.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in August that he was ‘more inclined than not’ to run for president in 2028, although he stressed that there was still a great deal he did not know about the political landscape ahead.
He also said becoming a parent had changed how he weighs a potential campaign.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has similarly left the door open while repeatedly emphasizing that her immediate focus is the 2026 midterms.
In August, Ocasio-Cortez told ABC’s Jonathan Karl that she hasn’t ‘ruled out the possibility’ of a presidential run, while saying she was focused on winning the midterms.
She has also left open the possibility of challenging Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer for his New York Senate seat in 2028.
Her political operation has also undergone changes as she weighs her options.
Axios reported in August that Ocasio-Cortez was reorganizing her political team ahead of a decision over whether to pursue the White House or a Senate bid.
Recent polling has also shown Harris and Newsom among the potential Democratic contenders being tested for 2028.
A May 2026 Lake Research Partners poll of 800 likely Democratic primary voters nationwide found Harris and Newsom leading a ranked-choice test of the potential 2028 field.
The poll included 13 Democrats commonly identified as potential presidential candidates, including Buttigieg and Ocasio-Cortez.
The 2028 Democratic field remains unsettled, with potential candidates taking different approaches to whether and when they will declare their intentions.
For Newsom, however, his latest comments provide one clear condition.
If Harris runs, he won’t.
