Gavin Newsom Gambles On Joe Biden In Hunt For 2028 Presidential Nomination — But Still Has To Clear The Kamala Harris Hurdle
Most Democrats looking toward 2028 are trying to put Joe Biden in the rearview mirror.
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Gavin Newsom appears to be doing the opposite.
While many ambitious Democrats are distancing themselves from Biden’s troubled final years in office and the fallout from the 2024 election, California’s governor has chosen a different path. He has defended Biden’s record, praised his presidency, and most recently welcomed Hunter Biden onto his podcast.
That may seem counterintuitive.
After all, why would a politician with national ambitions tie himself more closely to a former president whose standing inside his own party has become increasingly complicated?
In my full California Post column, I examine why Newsom’s embrace of Biden may be less about the past and more about the future.
The answer has a lot to do with Democratic primary politics, Biden’s remaining influence inside the party, and one obstacle standing directly between Newsom and the Democratic nomination: Kamala Harris.
If Harris runs, she begins with an obvious advantage. But presidential politics is often about more than gaining support. Sometimes it is about denying your opponent support.
That is where Newsom’s recent moves become particularly interesting.
I also look at how Newsom’s efforts to frame federal scrutiny surrounding his family’s nonprofit network as politically motivated may fit into the broader picture — and why some of his recent public decisions may not be as disconnected as they first appear.
The question is whether Newsom is positioning himself as the future of the Democratic Party or as someone inheriting political baggage that other Democrats are trying to leave behind.
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