California Gov. Gavin Newsom has identified the one Democrat who could keep him out of the 2028 presidential race: former Vice President Kamala Harris. In an informal CNN interview with Jake Tapper while fly-fishing in Montana on Monday, Newsom said he would not seek the Democratic nomination if Harris decided to run. He first stressed, however, that his immediate priority is the 2026 midterm elections and that he plans to make a decision about a 2028 campaign afterward. “I wouldn’t run if she ran,” Newsom told Tapper. His comments come as the California governor increasingly emerges as a potential 2028 Democratic contender. Harris, meanwhile, has continued to leave open the possibility of another presidential bid. On September 10, she told former U.S. women’s national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe on the podcast What Are You Like? that she “hasn’t decided” whether she will run in 2028. Asked about a possible campaign, Harris replied, “From my perspective, ’28 doesn’t matter if we don’t win ’26.”
Midterms put 2028 hopes on hold
Harris went on to underscore her focus on the midterms, repeating that “Midterms, midterms, midterms” were occupying her “thoughts, my mind and my work.” That places Harris and Newsom, two of the Democratic Party’s most prominent potential 2028 candidates, in an unusual holding pattern as they wait to see how the 2026 elections unfold. Newsom has previously acknowledged that he is seriously weighing a White House campaign. During an October 2025 interview with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell, he said he would be “lying” if he claimed he had not considered running for president in 2028.
Buttigieg and Ocasio-Cortez leave doors open
Other Democrats are also offering clearer signals about their interest in the 2028 presidential race. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in August that he was “more inclined than not” to run, while acknowledging that much about the political landscape remains unknown. Buttigieg added that becoming a parent had changed the way he evaluates a potential campaign. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has likewise kept her options open, though she has repeatedly said her immediate attention is on helping Democrats win the 2026 midterms.
Ocasio-Cortez weighs future bids
In August, Ocasio-Cortez told ABC’s Jonathan Karl that she had not “ruled out the possibility” of seeking the presidency, even as she emphasized her focus on the midterm elections. She has also left open the prospect of challenging Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer for his New York Senate seat in 2028. As she considers both paths, her political operation has begun to change. Axios reported in August that Ocasio-Cortez was reorganizing her team ahead of a decision on whether to pursue a White House campaign or a Senate bid.
Newsom defers to Harris in 2028
Recent polling has placed Harris and Newsom among the leading potential Democratic contenders being tested for 2028. A May 2026 Lake Research Partners survey of 800 likely Democratic primary voters nationwide found the two at the top of a ranked-choice test featuring a potential field of 13 Democrats, including Buttigieg and Ocasio-Cortez. The Democratic field remains unsettled, with prospective candidates taking different approaches to when—and whether—they will announce their plans. Newsom, however, has now set out one clear condition: if Harris runs, he will not.
