Gavin Newsom States He Will Not Run for President in 2028 if Kamala Harris Enters Race

California Governor Gavin Newsom stated in an interview with CNN that he will not run for president in 2028 if former Vice President Kamala Harris decides to enter the race. Newsom made these remarks during a fly-fishing outing in Montana with CNN’s Jake Tapper, as part of a series where Tapper joins politicians in their preferred locations to discuss their careers. Tapper highlighted the crowded Democratic field, mentioning other potential candidates from California, including Representative Ro Khanna and Harris. Newsom said, "I don’t know if she runs, but we’ll see." When Tapper noted that Harris had been making calls regarding her candidacy, Newsom responded, "But I wouldn’t run if she ran." He added, "Of course not. Why would I? I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t waste everyone’s time. Who needs that?" Newsom characterized a primary contest between himself and Harris as detrimental, stating it would only benefit other candidates. He referred to such a scenario as "mutually assured destruction" and said, "Electorally, it’s a gift from God for everybody else. It services no greater good." Tapper pointed out that Harris has previously run for president, while Newsom has not, to which Newsom acknowledged the point but emphasized that their supporter bases overlap significantly. He mentioned, "The Venn diagram on that is just pure crossover." Newsom also indicated that any decision regarding a presidential run would involve his family, labeling his potential candidacy as a "non-starter" without the support of his four children. These comments come as Newsom is trailing Harris in early primary polling; a Harvard-Harris survey from April indicated that 50 percent of Democrats preferred Harris as the 2028 nominee, compared to 22 percent for Newsom. Neither candidate has formally declared their candidacy for the election.