California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday he expects to decide by early January whether to run for president in 2028. He made the comments while attending the United Nations climate conference in Antalya, Turkey.
“As it relates to 2028, we’ll make that decision in the next few months,” Newsom told Turkey’s Anadolu news agency. He said he planned to spend the coming weeks with his family before making up his mind.
Newsom has often been mentioned as a possible Democratic contender, alongside figures including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia. A potential run by fellow Californian Kamala Harris, the party’s 2024 nominee, could affect his plans.
In a September interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Newsom said he would not run if Harris entered the race. Asked to confirm, he replied, “Of course not. Why would I? 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 conversation also turned to how Democrats might challenge one another in a primary. Tapper suggested some voters could argue that Harris had already run twice while Newsom had never been a presidential candidate. Newsom agreed that it would be a strong argument, calling it “objectively true.”
Newsom, who is term-limited and will leave office in January, also praised the recent midterm election results, in which Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress and several traditionally Republican strongholds.
“Donald Trump’s presidency, as we know it, ended last week in the U.S.,” Newsom said, describing the results as “an historic rebuke” of Trump’s tenure. He added that Democrats now needed to offer a positive alternative agenda.
