Who is Gavin Newsom? Why is California’s governor resigning? What are his chances and who are his opponents in 2028 – Details | Today’s news
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday commuted the death sentences of all 548 people on death row in the state, a move that many see as his last major action before potentially resigning to run for the White House in 2028.
Gavin Newsom vs. Donald Trump
The 59-year-old incumbent cannot run in 2026 because California has a constitutional limit on him serving a maximum of two four-year terms. Newsom, the governor of the U.S.’s most populous state, has a long history of clashing with Trump over, among other things, the federalization and deployment of the California National Guard, which the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled illegal.
In June, Newsom accused Trump of ordering the Justice Department to conduct a politically motivated investigation of him and his wife as he considers a run for president.
Gavin Newsom’s course for 2028
In 2025, Newsom was widely seen as one of the frontrunners for the 2028 Democratic Party nomination. He visited the early presidential nomination states of Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. He has nearly $7 million in his political action committee, according to FEC filings. But in September, CNN said he would not run if former Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race.
Newsom, if he chooses to throw your hat in the ring, will join a crowded arena of Democratic hopefuls buoyed by the results of the 2026 midterm elections.
Polymarket has Newsom in third place, behind Jon Ossoff and the AOC, with prediction markets giving him an 11% chance of winning the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.
Who else could enter the race?
Jon Ossoff, the Georgia senator who last week won his second term in the 2026 midterms, is now widely seen as the front-runner for the 2028 nomination. That’s despite the fact that Ossoff said in October that he had “zero interest” in running for president. New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, better known as AOC, is close behind with 17% to Ossoff’s 26%.
Andy Beshear, the Democratic governor of Kentucky, hinted at a run in 2028 in an interview in September. “I’m just not going to leave a broken country for my children or our future generations,” he said.
He has more than $2 million in his political action committee and has appeared at events in early nominating states, including Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina, according to Reuters.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who has also had several high-profile clashes with Trump in 2025, has also not ruled out a presidential run, saying he is focused on what’s best for the people of Illinois and electing Democrats.
Another Democratic governor who could enter the race is Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, who launched a federal political action committee in October to create a vehicle to raise money for Democratic candidates and potentially support his future presidential campaign.
