Arabic version: نيوسوم يستبعد خوض سباق 2028 ضد هاريس

According to The Guardian, California governor Gavin Newsom said he will not run for president in 2028 if former vice-president Kamala Harris enters the race. Newsom, who terms out as governor this year, made the comments in a forthcoming CNN interview with anchor Jake Tapper.

Newsom and Harris, both from California, are widely viewed as leading establishment contenders for the Democratic presidential primary. Newsom said a campaign against Harris would “waste everybody’s time” and be a “gift from God” to political opponents. “I wouldn’t do that to her,” he told Tapper.

He said their voter appeal had substantial overlap, adding: “The zen [sic] diagram on that, it’s pure cross over.” Newsom also said he had considered running in 2024 but “wasn’t ready,” and remains unsure whether he will be ready for the next presidential primary.

The interview took place while Newsom and Tapper fly fished on Montana’s Bitterroot River, where Newsom’s in-laws own a ranch. The governor has built a more prominent national profile by criticizing Trump on social media, working with political influencers and using a California redistricting ballot initiative to respond to Republican-favored gerrymandering efforts in conservative states.

Harris has been comparatively quiet since losing the 2024 presidential election to Trump. In July, she said she had not yet decided whether to run in 2028, though she remains a household name and a serious contender for the Democratic nomination.