Overview

• Two polls this week show Newsom’s support doubling to 8 percent in a McLaughlin survey and 11 percent in a Morning Consult poll, up from mid-single digits earlier this year.
• Vice President Kamala Harris maintains a commanding lead with 30 percent support and dominates Black, Hispanic and female Democratic voters.
• Newsom has not formally announced a 2028 campaign and says he needs a ‘burning why’ to justify a presidential bid.
• His high-profile opposition to President Trump’s federalization of the National Guard during Los Angeles immigration protests has elevated his national standing.
• Party strategists warn that his association with California’s liberal policies and a likely crowded primary field could complicate his White House prospects.