Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom are generating limited enthusiasm as potential 2028 presidential contenders, although the California governor leads Harris among the state’s Democratic voters.
A September survey by the UC Berkeley Citrin Center and POLITICO found that 37% of registered California voters would be excited to see Newsom launch a presidential campaign, compared with 28% who said the same about Harris.
Both figures fell sharply from the February-March survey, when 48% of registered voters expressed enthusiasm for a Newsom bid and 41% said they would welcome a Harris campaign.
The latest poll comes as Newsom has pledged not to challenge Harris, telling CNN that he would not run against the former vice president.
“I don’t know if she runs but we’ll see,” Newsom said in Montana. “But I wouldn’t run if she ran.”
The term-limited governor is publicly considering a 2028 White House bid while he and his wife are also under investigation by the Justice Department.
Newsom has emerged as one of the leading potential candidates alongside Harris, with particularly strong support among Democratic voters.
Among Democrats, 61% said they would be excited about a Newsom presidential campaign, while 39% said they would not.
Harris posted the opposite result: 55% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters said they would not be excited about another presidential bid from the former vice president.
“There’s no question that Democrats see Newsom as the stronger general election prospect, even if neither he nor Harris is generating much excitement, and that shines through,” Jon Cohen, founder of polling company TrueDot, told Politico.
A 2028 campaign would mark Harris’ third attempt to win the presidency.
Harris entered the 2020 Democratic presidential primary but ended her campaign in December 2019, before voting began. Biden later chose her as his running mate.
In 2024, she became the Democratic nominee after Biden withdrew from the reelection race. Harris ultimately lost the election to Donald Trump.
The survey also revealed a significant difference in how Democrats assess the two Californians’ chances in 2028.
Forty-nine percent of Democrats said Newsom was more likely to win the Democratic nomination, compared with just 10% who chose Harris.
The gap widened further when voters were asked which candidate would have the better chance in the general election.
Fifty-nine percent of Democrats viewed Newsom as more likely to win a general election, while only 9% selected Harris.
Harris, 61, and Newsom, 58, rose through San Francisco politics at the same time, building careers that frequently overlapped. In 2004, Harris became the city’s district attorney while Newsom was elected mayor.
Harris went on to serve as California attorney general and a U.S. senator before becoming vice president. Newsom later became lieutenant governor and then governor.
Enthusiasm was considerably weaker for both potential candidates among voters outside the Democratic base.
About 85% of independent voters said they were not excited about either Newsom or Harris running in 2028, according to the figures from the September survey.
Among Republicans, roughly 93% said they were not excited about either candidate.
The Post has reached out to both Harris and Newsom camp for comment.
