Gavin Newsom Says He Won’t Run Against Kamala Harris in the 2028 Democratic Race

During a breezy interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper – where Newsom was half‑standing in a lake, fishing pole in hand – the California governor let slip a detail that could shape the 2028 Democratic primary. He said, plainly, that if Kamala Harris decides to run for president, he would not enter the race.

"I don’t know if she runs, but we’ll see," Newsom, 58, replied when Tapper asked about Harris’s rumored "calling around." He followed with a pause, then added, "I wouldn’t run if she ran. I wouldn’t do that to her; I wouldn’t do that to you. I wouldn’t waste everyone’s time. Who needs that?" The moment felt like a scene from a political drama, but the governor was serious.

When pressed for clarification, Tapper sounded baffled: "What do you mean? That doesn’t even make sense to me." Newsom simply called the scenario "mutually assured destruction," borrowing Cold‑War lingo to describe a showdown that would hurt both campaigns.

The two Democrats share a long, tangled history. Both were sworn into office on the same day twenty years ago, and they climbed the ranks together under the mentorship of San Francisco legend Willie Brown. Yet their relationship has been anything but smooth, marked by occasional public sparring and private disagreements.

Recent reports add layers to the story. A former staffer, who once had an affair with Newsom during his mayoral days, claimed Harris gave her the "best advice" at a critical moment. Meanwhile, Harris’s own memoir, 107 Days, mentions a missed call from Newsom on the night former President Joe Biden exited the 2024 race – an anecdote that Newsom later tried to clarify during a video‑game livestream.

Whether Harris will actually launch a 2028 bid remains uncertain, but Newsom’s comment has already set the tone for any potential clash. If the two California power players end up on opposite sides of the primary, the Democratic Party could face a tense, possibly fracturing contest.