California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has repeatedly claimed that he does not have his sights on the White House. Despite this, experts believe that it is not a matter of if but rather when he will choose to place a bid for the White House.
Newsom, 55, has always been perceived to have ambitions, however, so far, no Democrat has ever managed to make the jump from being California’s governor to being the President of the country. Still, Newsom could potentially be the first.
Eric Schickler, a political science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told The Hill that in his view Newsom was keeping his “options open” especially as no one is expecting him to challenge President Biden. A few months ago Newsom was considered to be a possible option for the 2024 presidential election as many questioned whether the 80-year-old president would run for a second term. Instead, he is currently focused on building up his national profile now, which would make it far more likely that he would try to win the White House in 2028.
Newsom has especially been focusing on battling Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to join the GOP primary this year and is considered to even have a shot at becoming the GOP nominee. Last week, during a visit to Florida, Newsom spoke at the New College of Florida, where he decried DeSantis’ attempts to cut the university’s diversity office and program.
He further argued that DeSantis did not have a “moral authority” and is “bullying and intimidating vulnerable communities.”
