California Governor Gavin Newsom has said he will not seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 if former vice-president Kamala Harris enters the race.
Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper during an informal fly-fishing interview in Montana, Mr Newsom said: “I wouldn’t run if she ran.”
He stressed that his immediate priority was the 2026 midterm elections and said he would wait until after those contests before deciding whether to pursue the White House.
The comments place Mr Newsom and Ms Harris, two of the Democratic Party’s most prominent potential candidates, in an unusual position as they both keep their longer-term plans open.
Ms Harris has continued to leave open the possibility of another presidential campaign. Asked about a 2028 bid by former US women’s national team footballer Megan Rapinoe on her podcast on September 10, she said she “hasn’t decided” whether she would run.
She also made clear that the midterms came first, saying: “From my perspective, ’28 doesn’t matter if we don’t win ’26.” She added that “Midterms, midterms, midterms” occupied her “thoughts, my mind and my work.”
Mr Newsom has previously acknowledged that he is seriously considering a presidential bid. In October 2025, he said he would be “lying” if he claimed he had not thought about running in 2028.
Democrats weigh possible 2028 campaigns
Other senior Democrats have also offered indications that they are considering a campaign, although none has formally settled their plans.
Former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg said in August that he was “more inclined than not” to run in 2028, while noting that much about the political landscape remained unknown. He said becoming a parent had also changed how he assessed a possible campaign.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said she has not “ruled out the possibility” of seeking the presidency, while emphasising her focus on the 2026 midterms. She has also left open the prospect of challenging Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer for his New York seat in 2028.
A May 2026 poll of 800 likely Democratic primary voters tested 13 potential candidates and found Ms Harris and Mr Newsom leading a ranked-choice field that included Mr Buttigieg and Ms Ocasio-Cortez.
For Mr Newsom, however, his latest statement sets out a clear condition for 2028: if Kamala Harris runs, he will not.
