California: Newsom Sets January Deadline for 2028 Presidential Decision
Governor Gavin Newsom will announce his candidacy plans by early next year, with a potential run complicated by the possibility of a Kamala Harris bid.
By Amit Chukwu ·
California Governor Gavin Newsom will leave office in January, and he has set a firm timeline for determining his next political move. He will decide whether to seek the presidency within the next two months.
Newsom announced this schedule on Thursday while attending the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference in Antalya, Turkey. He told the Anadolu news agency that the determination will be made at the beginning of the new year. "I'll make the determination at the beginning of the year," Newsom said. "So we'll spend the next few weeks with the family and make a decision early January."
The governor is one of several names frequently cited as a potential 2028 Democratic contender. Other candidates often mentioned in early discussions include New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff. Newsom is term-limited after 2026, which opens his schedule for a national campaign next term.
A major factor in his decision will be the potential return of former Vice President Kamala Harris to the race. Newsom has previously stated he would not run if Harris launched another White House bid. In a September interview with CNN, he reaffirmed that stance. "I wouldn't run if she ran," Newsom told host Jake Tapper. When Tapper suggested that Harris had already had her shot, Newsom agreed that was an objectively true case.
Newsom made these comments just over a week after Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections. The party also lost several traditionally Republican strongholds. Newsom described the result as a historic rebuke of the current presidential tenure. "Donald Trump's presidency, as we know it, ended last week in the U.S.," Newsom said. He added that the Democratic Party now has the duty to set forth a positive alternative agenda.
The governor said he was particularly pleased with the election outcome. He noted that it is now incumbent upon the successful party to govern and lead. The decision on his 2028 status will come after a few weeks spent with his family, with the final announcement expected in early January 2027.
