🔗 Share this article

The California governor, a prominent member of the Democratic party, has revealed that he intends to determine whether to seek the White House in 2028 once the 2026 midterm elections conclude.

"Yes, it would be dishonest otherwise," Newsom remarked when asked about giving serious thought to a White House bid after the 2026 midterms. "I'd just be lying. And I'm not."

The governor's time in office as California's leader concludes in early 2027, and term limits prevent another run. Yet, he emphasized that any choice is a long way off.

"It's up to destiny," he remarked.

Rising Profile as a Administration Opponent

He has stepped forward as a high-profile opponent of the current federal leadership, leveraging his digital presence and advocating for a ballot measure that would boost the party's House seats in as a counter to redistricting by Republicans. This strategy has made him a target from political opponents.

Controversy Over Funds

The former president's transportation chief, Sean Duffy, claimed that Newsom does not care about Californians in a Sunday interview on a major news network. The secretary revealed plans to pull federal funds from California and warned eliminating the authority to issue CDLs.

"I'm about to pull a significant sum from California," he stated, after a recent deadly accident in the state involving an undocumented semi truck driver that resulted in fatalities and four injuries.

Newsom's office noted that the U.S. government had reauthorized the driver's employment repeatedly, which permitted him to obtain a CDL under federal law.

Duffy had before stated he was withholding $40m from the state for ignoring linguistic standards for truck drivers.

Pointed Reply from the Team

"Former D-list reality star, now cabinet member, fails to grasp U.S. regulations," Newsom's office responded in a last month's release responding to the funding warnings. "Meanwhile, as opposed to this individual, we rely on data: The state's commercial driver's license holders had a fatal crash rate nearly 40% lower than the countrywide rate. Texas – the sole state with a larger number of CDL holders – has a rate almost 50% higher than the state. Data speaks for itself. This administration is dishonest."

Public Opinion and Campaign Considerations

A recently conducted poll showed that 72% of Democrats and almost half of voters said that the governor should run for the White House in 2028. In recent years, public support for the governor has grown to an mean of 33.5% from previous levels, while his disapproval has decreased from an mean of over 40% to current figures.

Earlier this year, the governor commented while traveling several swing states that he had "no clue" about his future for 2028.

He noted his past difficulties, including being found to have a learning disability at the age of five.

"The thought that a individual who got 960 on his SAT, who continues to find reading challenging, who was always in the back of the classroom – the idea that you would even throw that out is, alone, amazing," he stated. "It's anyone's guess? I am eager to see who steps forward in the next election and who answers the call. And that's the question for the U.S. citizens."