California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks near to his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, as they attend a press conference about new legislation aimed at improving nutrition in schools across California, at Belvedere Middle School in Los Angeles, California, US October 8, 2025 (photo credit: REUTERS/MIKE BLAKE)
Newsom has made some moves this year to test the waters for a potential presidential run and has gained prominence within his party in confronting US President Donald Trump on a range of issues.
Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom said that he is considering running for US president in 2028 and will make a decision after the 2026 midterm elections in an interview aired on Sunday.
Newsom has made some moves this year to test the waters for a potential presidential run and has gained prominence within his party in confronting US President Donald Trump on a range of issues.
“I’m looking forward to who presents themselves in 2028 and who meets that moment,” Newsom said on the CBS News program Sunday Morning.
Asked if he was considering a run, Newsom said, “Yeah, I’d be lying (if I said) otherwise.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at Belvedere Middle School in Los Angeles, Calif. on Oct. 8, 2025. (credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Acting as a counterbalance for Republican-led states
Under the US Constitution, Trump is prohibited from running for a third term, but has floated the idea regardless, saying earlier this year, “there are methods which you could do it.”
Newsom has pushed California to the forefront of Democratic efforts to redraw congressional maps to counter Republican-led states’ efforts, as the two parties fight for control of the US House of Representatives, a chamber Republicans now hold by a narrow majority, in the 2026 elections.
The governor has also confronted Trump over the president’s military deployment to Los Angeles.