California Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed on Sunday he will be running for president in 2028, setting up a potential clash between the Democratic Party’s establishment and progressive wings.
The move is a stab in the back to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y), who had just last week been endorsed by socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-V.T.) as the far-Left leader of the party.
“Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise,” Newsom confirmed to CBS’ Sunday Morning when asked if he is preparing a run after the 2026 midterm elections. “I’d be lying, And I’m, I can’t do that.”
The 58-year-old governor’s confirmation comes as Ocasio-Cortez has begun positioning herself to run for either president or the U.S. Senate in 2028.
Newsom said his focus remains on the 2026 midterm elections and helping Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives.
Ocasio-Cortez and her team have spent millions this year on social media and acquiring lists of potential supporters and donors to expand her grassroots fundraising potential. She has brought in some former senior advisers to Sanders.
“Her team has spent more on digital advertising than almost any other politician in 2025, and as a result, they have brought in hundreds of thousands of new small-dollar donations,” said Kyle Tharp, author of media and politics newsletter Chaotic Era.
Ocasio-Cortez has amassed 36.7 million followers across Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, X, and Facebook, far outpacing potential Democratic rivals like Newsom. She held a series of town halls in Upstate New York this summer that could help her expand appeal for a statewide Senate campaign.
If Ocasio-Cortez runs for Senate, she would face Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, 74, in a primary. A Data for Progress poll in April showed Ocasio-Cortez leading Schumer by 19 points in a hypothetical 2028 Senate matchup.
Some former Sanders aides see Ocasio-Cortez as an heir apparent who could expand his socialist appeal.
Recent polling shows Newsom leading the Democratic field. A Yahoo/YouGov poll released last month named Newsom as the frontrunner with 21 percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters. Former Vice President Kamala Harris came second at 19 percent, while Ocasio-Cortez came in at 12 percent.
An Emerson College poll of 387 Democrats found Newsom with 25 percent support, a jump of more than 12 points since June. Ocasio-Cortez received only 4 percent backing in that survey.
In recent months, Newsom has become a fierce critic of Trump, and pushed back on federal ICE raids in California.
Other Democrats who have been floated as potential 2028 presidential candidates include Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego.
On Saturday, former Vice President Kamala Harris also told the BBC that she “possibly” will run for president again.
Candidates typically do not announce presidential runs until after midterm elections, which are scheduled for November 2026.