NEWSOM SAYS HE WOULD NOT RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028 IF HARRIS DOES

Gavin Newsom has said he will not run for US president in 2028 if Kamala Harris enters the race, in comments made to CNN's Jake Tapper. The California governor told Tapper, "I wouldn't run if she ran," adding that a contest between them would "waste everybody's time." He said running against Harris would amount to a "gift" to political opponents. Newsom made the remarks while fly fishing with Tapper on the Bitterroot River in Montana, at a ranch owned by his in-laws. Newsom and Harris, both from California, are widely viewed as leading contenders for the next Democratic presidential nomination.

Newsom, who leaves office as California governor this year under term limits, has built a national profile as a vocal critic of Donald Trump. He said he considered running in 2024 but concluded he "wasn't ready," and that he is still deciding whether he will be ready for the next primary. "You have to meet the moment," he said, asking whether a candidate is "wasting everybody's time." He has led a ballot initiative on redrawing California's electoral districts, which he presented as a response to Republican-led states redrawing their own boundaries to Trump's advantage.

Harris has kept a lower public profile since losing the 2024 presidential election to Trump, a race that followed Joe Biden's withdrawal amid concerns about his fitness for office. She said in July that she had not yet decided whether to run again in 2028. Newsom's comments indicate he would step aside for Harris rather than contest a primary against her, though neither has announced a decision. The shape of the Democratic field is not expected to become clear until closer to the primary season.