🔗 Share this article

Gavin Newsom, a prominent member of the Democratic party, has indicated that he intends to make a decision about whether to launch a presidential campaign in 2028 following the 2026 congressional elections wrap up.

"Yes, I would be lying otherwise," the governor remarked when questioned about contemplating a presidential run after the 2026 ballots. "I'd just be lying. And I can't do that."

The governor's tenure as governor wraps up in early 2027, and he is ineligible for re-election. But, he noted that any determination is not imminent.

"Fate will determine that," he added.

Increased Visibility as a Trump Critic

He has stepped forward as a notable opponent of the former president's team, using his digital presence and championing a proposition that would expand the party's congressional seats in response to GOP gerrymandering. This action has invited attacks from adversaries.

Clash on Transportation

The former president's transportation chief, Sean Duffy, claimed that Newsom is indifferent about the state's residents in a weekend appearance on Fox News. The secretary revealed a strategy to cut government money from the state and threatened revoking the authority to grant CDLs.

"I plan to withdraw $160 million from California," he declared, after a this week's deadly accident in the state involving an non-citizen commercial driver that resulted in fatalities and injured individuals.

Newsom's office noted that the national authorities had renewed the driver's employment multiple times, which enabled him to obtain a commercial driver's license under national regulations.

The transportation secretary had earlier announced he was withholding $40 million from California for failing to implement linguistic standards for truck drivers.

Firm Rebuttal from the Administration

"One-time television figure, now transportation chief, fails to grasp federal law," Newsom's office responded in a recent statement addressing the secretary's comments. "Meanwhile, as opposed to this individual, we rely on data: The state's CDL holders had a death rate significantly lower than the U.S. average. The state of Texas – the only state with more commercial holders – has a rate markedly elevated than the state. Statistics are clear. The Trump administration does."

Voter Sentiment and Political Future

A this month's poll found that a majority of the party and almost half of voters believed that the governor must consider running for the White House in the next election cycle. After the current administration began, Newsom's favorability has risen to an mean of a third from around 30%, while his unfavorability has fallen from an mean of over 40% to 38.4%.

In previous months, the governor commented while visiting several swing states that he had "uncertainty" about his intentions for the next presidential election.

He noted his personal struggles, including being found to have a learning disability at the early childhood.

"The thought that a guy who scored 960 on the SAT, who has ongoing difficulties with text, who was typically not at the front – the fact that this is even suggested is, alone, remarkable," he commented. "It's anyone's guess? I'm looking forward to who emerges in the next election and who meets that moment. And that is the issue for the voters."