Count out California Gov. Gavin Newsom from the 2028 presidential race if former Vice President Kamala Harris decides to run.
Mr. Newsom said he won’t seek the presidency if Ms. Harris decides to make another White House bid because the two Californians draw from the same base of supporters.
Mr. Newsom, appearing Monday on CNN, told host Jake Tapper, “I wouldn’t run if she ran.”
The two were talking while standing in a lake, fly fishing.
Mr. Tapper asked Mr. Newsom, “If she runs, you will not?” and Mr. Newsom responded. “Of course not. Why would I? I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t do that to me. I wouldn’t do that to you. I wouldn’t waste anyone’s time. Who needs that.”
Mr. Newsom said a presidential primary with both of them as candidates would result in “mutually assured destruction” that “serves no greater good.”
He said he knew the base of supporters and friends of Ms. Harris, who represented California in the U.S. Senate and also served as California’s attorney general for six years.
“The zen diagram on that is pure crossover,” he said.
Ms. Harris is weighing a run for the Democratic nomination and polls indicate she would be the instant frontrunner.
But she also carries significant baggage from her devastating 2024 loss to President Trump and criticism that her poorly run campaign blew through hundreds of millions of dollars. Ms. Harris lost the popular vote and every swing state to Mr. Trump.
In polls showing hypothetical 2028 Democratic presidential primary candidates, Ms. Harris is typically in the lead, followed by Mr. Newsom.
The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Ms. Harris with an 11-point lead over Mr. Newsom.
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