Are the Golden State’s top two Democratic leaders suddenly walking into a bitter civil war?
California Governor Gavin Newsom, considered by many the Democratic frontrunner for the 2028 presidential race, laughed at the thought of a 2028 Democratic primary face-off between himself and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Newsom discussed the possibility with CNN anchor and “State of the Union” host Dana Bash this weekend, who asked how he might handle standing across the debate stage from the former vice president and longtime friend.
“Kamala Harris. You write about the fact that you’ve been friends with her for a very long time, you came up together,” Bash began, referencing Newsom’s recent memoir.
“You talk about your parallel careers: she was prosecutor, California D.A., and Senator; you were San Francisco Mayor, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor.”
“What happens if and when those parallel careers intersect and collide?” she asked.
However, Newsom suddenly erupted in laughter before Bash was able to finish the question.
“Well, I’m San Francisco and she’s L.A., so we’re a little bit — there’s a little distance between the two of us,” Newsom quipped despite Bash pointing out the fact that she was talking about national politics.
“2028. The whole country,” she said.
“That’s — you know, fate will determine that,” Newsom said.
“And I’ve never gotten in the way of her ambition, ever. I haven’t. And I don’t imagine I would in the future. But I don’t —”
But if you run against each other for president —” Bash pressed again.
“That’s fate,” Newsom said again, dismissing the question entirely. “You only can control what you can control. I think this entire book is that fundamental lesson. And this notion of controlling what you control, and taking responsibility for what you control, is a big part of what I try to communicate in this book. That’s the third thing, it’s like how this book will be received. It’s the third thing, I can’t control it. I can’t control whatever decisions she makes.”
Take a listen —
Gavin Newsom on possibly facing Kamala Harris in the 2028 presidential primary: "I've never gotten in the way of her ambition" pic.twitter.com/PDm8CmkR96
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) February 22, 2026
Late last week, Newsom deflected additional questions surrounding a potential presidential run.
“It’s wildly premature,” Newsom said when asked directly by The California Post whether he was running for president during a press conference last Thursday.
Newsom has previously been more honest about his presidential ambitions.
Asked on CBS News whether he would give a presidential run “serious thought” after the 2026 midterms, Newsom said: “Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise. I’d just be lying. And I’m not — I can’t do that.”
Meanwhile, another major California Democrat, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is throwing her entire political weight behind Newsom, signaling a sharp turn away from Harris and betting big on a governor whose state has struggled with homelessness, crime, and massive population loss.
Pelosi, 85, who is retiring from Congress at the end of this term, has reportedly spent months privately boosting Newsom as Democrats scramble to find a standard-bearer for the next presidential cycle. She commands one of the most powerful donor networks in Democratic politics, and sources say she’s already decided Newsom is her pick.
“She’s a Gavin fan-girl and she doesn’t crush on many people,” a former Pelosi aide told Axios. “I will say this: She’s hardly ever wrong. When she says she sees something, it’s a real thing.”
Pelosi has gone public with her praise of Newsom to multiple national publications. She told The New Yorker that Newsom is “masterful” in his leadership.
“From the standpoint of leadership, vision, and values, knowledge of the issues, strategic thinking about how to get things done … he’s masterful,” she said.