He’s on the move, and in more ways than one.

Amidst the speculation surrounding the Democratic contenders for 2028, two names frequently surface as front-runners: California’s Governor Gavin Newsom, 58, and Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro, 52.

In a strategic move that often signals larger political ambitions, both have recently released books, with Newsom candidly considering a bid for the presidency.

Insiders have revealed to the Daily Mail that Newsom is currently resonating with the Democratic base—though it remains to be seen if this momentum will sustain over the next couple of years.

Newsom has emerged as a prominent figure in the opposition to Trump, earning widespread acclaim within his party for championing California’s Proposition 50. This initiative aimed to counter Republican efforts to gerrymander states in their favor, a tactic intended to maintain control of the House of Representatives during the November midterms.

Meanwhile, Shapiro is portrayed by those close to him as a dynamic leader with cross-party appeal from a crucial battleground state. As a potential general election candidate, he might be seen as a more strategic choice for Democrats, especially after the previous cycle’s gamble on a Californian Democrat resulted in losses across all seven swing states.

But Shapiro could struggle getting through a Democratic primary. He lacks name recognition, hasn’t fundraised nationally, and is Jewish – running in a party where there’s growing animosity toward Israel and broadening support for the Palestinian cause.

‘He’s never been a partisan flamethrower. He’s not interested in those types of explosive moments,’ said Matt Vahey, a commissioner in Abington Township, a suburb of Philadelphia.

Vahey worked on the Pennsylvania governor’s first run for the state House and then stayed on with Shapiro for five years. 

But it might pose a problem for the Democrat, as voters love ‘some red meat.’

‘In the primary, you do have to generate a lot of excitement among the base, and they do like some red meat,’ Vahey said. ‘That’s not usually what he serves up.’

‘He wants to do good work, he wants to develop good policy, and he’s willing to work with anybody to get that done,’ Vahey added.

Shapiro’s relationship with Bruce Castor, with whom he served alongside on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, is a testament to that. 

Castor is a Republican and even served as President Donald Trump’s lead impeachment lawyer during the second impeachment proceedings.

‘I’ve said many times that I thought Josh was the best administrator I’d ever seen,’ Castor told the Daily Mail. 

Castor said that Shapiro would try to get all the commissioners on the same page.   

‘And if it required a compromise here or there, he had a very soft manner about him in obtaining a compromise,’ Castor noted. ‘And sometimes in politics, you can’t compromise. I never held it against him and I don’t think he ever held it against me.’

Shapiro worked his way up through state government, running first for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2004 and serving in the body until 2012, when he was elected to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, where he worked alongside Castor.

In 2016, he ran for Pennsylvania attorney general and won the election. And then successfully mounted a campaign for governor in 2022. 

In his book, Where We Keep the Light, he wrote that the only election he’s lost was for class president. 

He was looked over by Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic nominee, to be her running mate, choosing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz instead.

Castor suggested Shapiro dodged a bullet.

‘When Harris was considering Josh, I’m sure that I’m not the only one of his friends that told him that was a terrible idea,’ the Republican said. ‘As it turns out, Harris picked the absolute worst person she could have picked and went down in flames.’ 

Castor added that he also didn’t want Shapiro to give Democrats a boost in 2024, as he supported the Republican ticket. 

Newsom similarly worked his way up through California offices – getting his start under San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1996.

By 2003, he was elected mayor of the city – at age 36, the youngest mayor ever. 

In 2010, he was elected lieutenant governor of California and in 2018 he became governor. 

Newsom faced a recall election in 2021, which he successfully defeated. 

And in 2022, he was reelected to serve a second term. 

It wasn’t completely a straight shot for Newsom – who ran for governor in the 2010 cycle as well, but dropped out in October 2009, turning his attention to the lieutenant governor’s race instead. 

Veteran Democratic campaign operator Garry South, who ran Newsom’s campaign that cycle, was still left impressed.

‘I’ve worked for candidates who were Rhodes Scholars and Columbia grads, Stanford grads, I think in terms of sheer raw brain power, Newsom is really the smartest candidate I’ve ever worked for,’ the California-based South told the Daily Mail. 

South opined in the Hill newspaper in December – and repeated those points in a phone interview – that he thinks Newsom could be the first Democratic president elected from California. 

Until Harris in 2024, the Democrats never even had a nominee from what’s considered the bluest state in the country. 

‘I just think that Trump has changed the whole dynamic,’ South explained. ‘He’s lowered the standards in so many different ways in terms of what people look for in a president.’

‘And even in terms of personal scandals, Trump has kind of blown that one out of the water, right?’ South added. 

While Shapiro met his future wife, Lori, in ninth grade and wrote in his book about his painful attempts to win her back as a freshman in college (they eventually became a couple again as young professionals living in D.C.), Newsom has had a more checkered love life. 

He was previously married to Kimberly Guilfoyle, who went on to date Donald Trump Jr. and now serves as the President’s ambassador to Greece. 

After they announced their split in 2005, Newsom dated CSI: Miami star Sofia Milos – who briefly embroiled him in a Scientology scandal – and a 19-year-old aspiring model named Brittanie Mountz when he was 39. 

Even more problematic was his affair with Ruby Rippey Gibney, who was married at the time to Alex Tourk, Newsom’s campaign manager and friend. 

Newsom blamed his bad behavior on alcohol, suggesting he would seek treatment – though he never officially went to rehab. 

South pointed out several ways that Newsom would have an advantage over Shapiro – from his fundraising prowess, raising more than $100 million from donors across the country for Prop 50, to the mere fact that California’s delegation has an outsized influence at the Democratic National Convention, sending nearly 500 delegates to Chicago for the 2024 DNC. 

‘I don’t care if you’re talking about Beshear or whether you’re talking about Wes Moore or whether you’re talking about Shapiro, no other governor who is going to be running in 2028 is going to have that kind of national fundraising list,’ South noted.

South also argued that Newsom could have a leg up because he’ll be an ex-governor by the time that he runs. 

‘Whatever happens is not really on his watch and that’s a really important thing when you’re running,’ he said. 

He pointed to President Jimmy Carter’s 1976 success – for whom South worked – running as an ex-governor, compared to Michael Dukakis’ 1988 poor showing, running as a current governor of Massachusetts.

Shapiro will still be in office ahead of 2028 – if he’s successfully reelected, which is likely, later this year. 

Those in Pennsylvania argued that it would be a benefit for their governor. 

‘He’s really focused on his current job,’ said Pennsylvania Democratic operative Brit Crampsie. ‘He didn’t go out on the campaign trail while Pennsylvanians were waiting on money from the state – shows you what kind of politician and leader that Josh Shapiro is.’

Shapiro stalled his reelection announcement until the budget process in Harrisburg was wrapped up. 

Newsom, on the other hand, has taken all sorts of trips out-of-state while starting to focus on a national race.

‘For Newsom, this has been a full-time occupation for the last year and a half, is to be attacking the administration and furthering his ambition,’ observed Steve Mavligio, a Sacramento-based Democratic consultant. 

Despite being from California, Mavligio gave props to Shapiro and raised concerns about Newsom. 

‘I see [Shapiro] being very attentive to what’s going on in the state. Very job-focused, very policy-focused. And I don’t see him storming around the country for the last two years as Newsom did,’ Mavligio told the Daily Mail. 

Mavligio also questioned if Newsom’s popularity could endure when Trump is no longer on the ballot. 

‘I think that he’s the flavor of the month right now. Because the electorate is demanding that fight, fight, fight, rather than results and policy,’ he said. ‘Now the problem with that is eventually voters want to know what you can do for them, and on that score I think he’s very vulnerable, and I think that’s the biggest juxtaposition with Shapiro.’

‘Most people view him as a show horse rather than a work horse, I think that’s gonna hurt,’ Mavligio added.