The Newshound

Newsom rules out 2028 presidential run if Kamala Harris enters race, calling a contest between them 'mutual assured destruction'

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Gavin Newsom, whose public pledge to stand aside for Kamala Harris has been branded a calculated move to isolate her from donors before the 2028 Democratic race even begins.
Gavin Newsom, whose public pledge to stand aside for Kamala Harris has been branded a calculated move to isolate her from donors before the 2028 Democratic race even begins.
Kamala Harris, whom strategists warn Gavin Newsom is trying to pressure out of the 2028 race by engineering a donor choice between the two — despite already running events in South Carolina.
Kamala Harris, whom strategists warn Gavin Newsom is trying to pressure out of the 2028 race by engineering a donor choice between the two — despite already running events in South Carolina.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said he would not challenge Kamala Harris for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination during a fly-fishing interview in Montana. "I wouldn't run if she ran. I wouldn't waste everyone's time," Newsom said, arguing the two Californians share the same donors, friends and voter base. Analysts are divided on whether the pledge is an act of loyalty or a calculated political gambit, with polling suggesting Newsom outperforms Harris in hypothetical general election match-ups against Republicans.

Newsom is barred from a third California gubernatorial term and has been making appearances in early Democratic primary states including South Carolina.

Newsom was pressed on the logic, with the point raised that Harris has already run twice and lost — he conceded it was a 'pretty good' argument but held firm.

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