Newsom vs. Harris Chances Against Vance as Governor Defers to Former VP - Newsweek

California Governor Gavin Newsom said he would not run for president in 2028 if former Vice President Kamala Harris enters the race, as recent polling has shown both Democrats in close hypothetical matchups against Vice President JD Vance.

“I wouldn’t run if she ran,” Newsom told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview that aired Monday.

“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?” he said.

Recent Emerson College polling found Harris leading Vance 49 percent to 45 percent and Newsom leading him 49 percent to 44 percent in hypothetical 2028 matchups.

Neither Harris nor Newsom has formally announced a 2028 presidential campaign, though both have signaled that they are considering a run. Vance has likewise not announced a campaign, but speculation about his 2028 prospects was on display at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas last week, where supporters chanted “48” during his keynote address.

Newsom said he believed a primary fight against Harris would serve little purpose, arguing that their overlapping Democratic constituencies would make the contest unnecessarily divisive.

“First of all, electorally, it’s a gift from God for everybody else,” Newsom said. “It services no greater good.”

Tapper pointed out that Harris has already had two chances to run for president, while Newsom has never launched a presidential campaign.

“That would be the approach to the campaign, certainly,” Newsom said. “That would be the case you'd make, a pretty good one actually. That's objectively true.”

Newsweek reached out to Harris and Newsom for comment.

Newsom has previously faced questions about why he did not seek the Democratic nomination in 2024, when President Joe Biden was seeking reelection.

He said he did not believe he had a sufficiently compelling reason to run at the time.

“I wasn’t ready,” Newsom said. “No, God, no.”

He said he would not have challenged Biden and questioned what his own rationale for running would have been.

“I would have gotten crushed because I didn’t have a why,” Newsom said. “If you don’t have a big enough why, then you don’t belong there.”

Newsom also said his four children would have to be on board with a presidential campaign and a candidate must be prepared to “meet the moment.”

Early national polling has produced competitive hypothetical matchups between Newsom, Harris and Vance, although results vary by poll and the 2028 election remains years away.

The latest national general-election poll listed by RealClearPolling was conducted by Emerson in August. It showed Newsom with 49 percent compared with 44 percent for Vance in a hypothetical matchup. The same poll showed Harris with 49 percent and Vance with 45 percent. Emerson’s survey was conducted August 16-17 among 1,000 likely voters.

RealClearPolling also lists a September 5 Yahoo News poll in which Newsom received 49 percent compared with 41 percent for Vance.

An earlier Zogby Analytics poll conducted January 1-7 among 891 likely voters found Harris ahead of Vance, 48.5 percent to 42.1 percent, with 9.4 percent saying they were not sure. In a hypothetical matchup between Newsom and Vance, however, the poll found Vance at 44.6 percent and Newsom at 41 percent, with 14.3 percent not sure. The poll had a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.

The Zogby poll also tested other potential 2028 matchups. Newsom led then-Secretary of State Marco Rubio 41.7 percent to 39.9 percent, with 18.4 percent not sure. Harris led Rubio 43.4 percent to 43.1 percent, with 13.5 percent not sure.

While Newsom has been among the candidates tested in early Democratic primary polling, recent national surveys have generally placed Harris ahead of him.

A Financial Times poll released September 6 showed Harris at 29 percent among potential Democratic primary voters, followed by Newsom at 14 percent. Pete Buttigieg was at 9 percent, while Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was at 11 percent.

A Harvard-Harris poll released September 2 showed Harris at 42 percent and Newsom at 18 percent. A Morning Consult poll released August 31 put Harris at 24 percent and Newsom at 12 percent.

RealClearPolling's current national Democratic primary average puts Harris at 24.5 percent and Newsom at 13.5 percent, with other candidates also receiving support.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gray R. Thomas