Newsom Says He Won't Run in 2028 if Harris Enters Presidential Race

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in an interview with CNN, posted Monday, that he would not run for president in 2028 if former Vice President Kamala Harris also entered the race. The interview was reported by NBC News, The New York Times, The Hill and Politico Europe, all citing the same CNN interview published around September 14, 2026. Newsom explained his reasoning by pointing to significant overlap, or "crossover," between his political base and Harris's. He said it would be an electoral "gift" to other candidates if he and Harris both ran, since they would split similar pools of supporters. Newsom added he did not know whether Harris would ultimately run, saying "I don't know if she runs but we'll see." The New York Times noted that, taken at face value, the remarks appeared to conflict with Newsom's own presidential ambitions. As of the reporting, Harris has not announced a decision on a 2028 campaign, and Newsom's own future plans remain unconfirmed beyond the conditional statement. A separate Fox News report, not corroborated by the other four sources, cited claims from former Democratic strategist Lindy Li about private conversations Harris allegedly had with donors before President Biden withdrew from the 2024 race; those claims are unverified by independent reporting in this set and are not established facts.