Gavin Newsom New Hampshire book tour stop fuels 2028 presidential speculation
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s book tour will take him to New Hampshire early next month, the state that traditionally holds the nation’s first presidential primary in a century.
Portsmouth Music Hall announced Thursday that California’s two-term Democratic governor will present his new book, “Young Man in a Hurry,” at the theater on Thursday, March 5.
The stop on New Hampshire’s coast is sure to generate more buzz about Newsom’s national ambitions and the possibility of launching a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 in the race to replace term-limited President Donald Trump.
Newsom’s stature in his own party has soared over the past year thanks to his vocal and visual crackdown on the president, including viral social media trolling of Trump and his successful effort in California against the Republican congressional redistricting effort.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at an election night press conference at the California Democratic Party office in Sacramento, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)
“Newsom has demonstrated the ability to boldly and extremely effectively oppose Trump without straying from core democratic values,” veteran Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo told Fox News Digital.
Newsom received VIP treatment as he held meetings and met with party delegates on the opening day of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) winter convention in Los Angeles in December. And Newsom has held meetings with Democratic Party chairmen in New Hampshire and Nevada, another key early voting state.
“We had a great debate on a wide range of topics,” longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley told Fox News Digital.
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Newsom acknowledged last year that he was considering a presidential run, telling CBS News that he would “seriously consider” it after the 2026 midterm elections and that he would be “lying” if he said otherwise.
Newsom is one of more than a dozen Democrats seen as potential 2028 contenders for the White House. And many are visiting New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, which are holding the first certified Democratic presidential primary in the 2024 election cycle. Newsom made a stop in South Carolina last summer.
A New Hampshire-based Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely shared that he and other activists in the state have been receiving regular fundraising emails from some White House hopefuls for months.
“I get a dozen every week,” the strategist said.
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“Successful candidates in New Hampshire start early here and get to know the activists. They learn what issues are important to people in New Hampshire,” former New Hampshire Democratic Party chairwoman and former DNC committee member Kathy Sullivan told Fox News Digital.
Sullivan said the potential challengers’ first visit to New Hampshire “showed that they made an effort to take the whole process seriously and knew they had to try hard to win the primary.”
The California governor was last in New Hampshire in July 2024, supporting then-President Joe Biden after Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Trump. Newsom became a surrogate for Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden as the party’s standard-bearer after Biden dropped out of the re-election race amid questions about his physical and mental toughness.
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, then-President Joe Biden’s running mate, speaks to voters at a highway rest area in Hooksett, New Hampshire, on July 8, 2024. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Fellow Californian Harris, who is currently on a book tour, is also considering a potential presidential run in 2028.
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Other Democrats seen as possible presidential candidates include Govs. JB Pritzker of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Wes Moore of Maryland and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut; Representative of progressive superstar. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez California Rep. Ro Khanna of New York and another prominent progressive; and two moderate Democrats, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former White House chief of staff and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
