California Democrats Newsom and Harris keep 2028 presidential options open
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California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris have stated in the past few days that they are keeping their options open for possible presidential elections in 2028.
“Yes, otherwise I would be lying,” Newsom said.CBS News Sunday MorningAsked if he would “seriously consider” running for president in 2028 after the 2026 midterm elections, he said: “I would just be lying. And I – I can’t do that.”
“I have no idea,” Newsom said of whether he might decide to run, adding that he hasn’t let the academic struggles he’s experienced throughout his life stop him from working to climb the political ladder. “The idea that a guy who got a 960 on the SAT and still has trouble reading scripts is always at the back of the class, and you can even throw that aside, is extraordinary in itself. Who knows? I can’t wait to see who will introduce themselves in 2028 and who will meet that moment. That’s the problem with the American people.”
Newsom Long has been tipped as the likely Democratic presidential nominee, especially after an unprecedented 2024 race when President Joe Biden dropped out of the race amid growing concerns about his mental acuity and then-Vice President Harris took over in his absence. President Donald Trump ultimately swept seven battleground states and won the popular vote and the Electoral College.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM REVEALS WHEN HE WILL START THINKING ABOUT POTENTIAL RUN IN 2028
California Governor Gavin Newsom looks on during a bill signing event to redraw the state’s congressional maps on August 21, 2025 in Sacramento, California. Newsom’s office said Trump “attacked the safety and health of children” when asked about the inclusion of transgender high school athlete AB Hernandez in the program. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Harris also left the door open to a potential 2028 presidential run while speaking to the BBC in an interview broadcast on Saturday. Harris is a longtime California Democrat who served as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and U.S. senator representing California before ascending to the political landscape as the nation’s vice president in 2021.
“I’m not done yet,” Harris told the UK press. “I’ve spent my entire career being a life of service, and it’s in my bones.”
Harris said during the interview that her grandchildren will see the first female president “in their lifetime” and that she “could probably” be that woman. According to BBC.
Harris ignored polls that showed her as a Democratic outsider in 2028 and said during the interview that she has not historically listened to polling data.
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“If I had listened to the polls, I wouldn’t be running for my first or second term, and I certainly wouldn’t be sitting here.”
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a ceremony at the Christian Compassion Church on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
The 2024 presidential elections have left the Democratic Party in a deadlock as it continues to search for its next de facto leader. In September, Harris published a memoir detailing the 107 days she spent on the campaign trail after Biden dropped out of the race; The moment also included a handful of shots at the former president, which further widened fissures within the party as it sought new leadership.
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Both Newsom and Harris are longtime political foes of Trump, who has railed against them both for promoting left-wing West Coast policies, including on the national stage.
Trump, who is term-limited and in the middle of his second presidency, welcomed Newsom’s potential presidential bid in May but said the California high-speed rail project aimed at connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles would keep him from joining the presidential race.
Former President Donald Trump is seen at an election night watch party on Wednesday (Nov. 6) in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP/Alex Brandon)
“I would love to see him run for president,” he said. “I’d love to see that, but I don’t think he’s going to race because a project on his own – I mean, this and the fires and a lot of other things – has pretty much knocked him out of the race.”
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“A standalone project” refers to the high-speed rail project, which has been plagued by delays and rising costs after the Trump administration pulled the plug on funding on the project in July.
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom and Harris’ respective offices Monday morning for additional comment on the 2028 statements but has not yet heard back.
