California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2028 presidential run has a new campaign manager: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi is throwing her entire political weight behind Newsom, signaling a sharp turn away from Vice President Kamala 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.
In Vogue, she gushed over his personal life.
“I’ve seen him grow politically, I’ve also seen him have this beautiful family, and for all of us who love him, seeing him evolve has been wonderful to behold,” Pelosi said.
She told Politico last week that Newsom would make “a great president” before adding that Democrats have many other strong potential candidates for 2028.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Pelosi if there wasn’t something in it for her to gain. Pelosi and Newsom share deep California ties. Her brother-in-law was married to Newsom’s aunt, creating a family connection between two of California’s most influential political families. Both rose through San Francisco’s Democratic establishment, and Pelosi has mentored Newsom for decades.
She frequently says, “I knew him before he was born.”
The move also appears to be a stab in the back of Harris, who currently leads the 2028 Democratic primary polling at 27.5%, while Newsom trails at 22.7%. Pelosi had quickly endorsed Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, reportedly frustrating former President Barack Obama, who wanted a more open process. Harris lost to Trump in a landslide, spending more than a billion dollars in the process and leaving major Democratic donors deeply angered.
Pelosi’s support could have helped Harris repair that damage, but the former speaker is unwilling to back her again.
Spokespeople for both Pelosi and Newsom declined to comment on their arrangement. A Newsom spokesperson said only that the governor “believes Speaker Pelosi is the epitome of selfless public service and will go down in history as one of the most consequential leaders of our time.”
Newsom has been attempting to raise his national profile in recent months. He attended the Munich Security Conference last week alongside other potential 2028 Democratic contenders, including Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
At the conference, Newsom told CNN he was there “to remind everyone that Trump is temporary.”
“He’ll be gone in a matter of years,” Newsom said. “States like California are permanent. We’re reliable, stable partners.”
Not all Democratic megadonors are sold on Newsom’s approach. John Morgan, founder of Morgan & Morgan law firm and a major Democratic donor, criticized Newsom’s strategy of being the “Democratic Donald Trump” in a Monday appearance on NewsNation.
“I think that by the time we get to 2028, America is gonna be sick of meanness and chaos and that type of banter,” Morgan said. “But he’s decided that that’s gonna help him. It gets him some money.”