Gavin Newsom Declared As The Democratic Party S 2028 Frontrunner Msn

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 1:17 PM

gavin newsom declared as the democratic party s 2028 frontrunner msn

Politico is already elevating California Gov. Gavin Newsom as the Democratic Party’s presumed savior for 2028. The outlet published a glowing Saturday column declaring Newsom the “frontrunner” to win back the White House. Politico has declared the “frontrunner” three years before the race even begins, and despite Newsom not even officially launching his campaign yet. The piece was written by Politico senior political columnist Jonathan Martin. Martin argues that Newsom has spent the past two years positioning himself as the most viable Democrat capable of reclaiming the presidency from President Donald Trump’s second-term administration.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has emerged as the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nominee in 2028, according to CNN data analyst Harry Enten. In a video posted on X, Enten showcased data from Times/YouGov and Yahoo News/YouGov analyzing Democratic and Democratic-leaning independent voters’ preferred 2028 Democratic candidate. Newsom leads the other candidates, as 21% of voters see him as the preferred choice, up from just 8% in April. Former Vice President Kamala Harris relinquished the top spot, trailing Newsom at 19%, down from 28% in April. U.S. Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rounds out the top three at 12%, an increase from 7% in April.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has catapulted into the national spotlight as the early frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, according to a series of recent reports and political analyses. Over the past two years, Newsom has deftly maneuvered through the shifting sands of party politics, leveraging both traditional experience and digital savvy to position himself as a leading contender for the White House. But as his profile rises, so do questions about the breadth and depth of his appeal within a party increasingly divided along ideological lines. Politico senior political columnist Jonathan Martin was among the first to declare Newsom the Democratic Party’s “front-runner” for 2028, noting, “No Democrat has had a better two years than Gavin Newsom and because of... He drew comparisons to Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, all of whom emerged as youthful, outsider candidates capable of challenging the Washington status quo while still reassuring party insiders. “By the old rules of Democratic nominations, Newsom fits neatly in the tradition of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama: younger, outsider candidates who could credibly run fresh campaigns against the Washington status...

But Martin also emphasized that Newsom is “the best-positioned Democrat according to the new rules of politics — namely, whether you are or can become famous by breaking through on social media.” Newsom’s digital acumen has been on display in his frequent, sometimes irreverent, jabs at former President Donald Trump. According to Politico, Newsom’s willingness to mock Trump and his supporters online, even using AI-generated content, has “endeared him to the sprawling anti-Trump coalition, even the Newsom skeptics among them.” This has been especially... Newsom’s political foundation is not built solely on social media theatrics. As reported by Breitbart and Politico, he maintains longstanding ties to national Democratic figures such as Bill Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, and his early participation in the Clinton Global Initiative signaled his ambitions and... In September 2025, former President Bill Clinton told Politico sources that Newsom “has what it takes to be elected president,” while another California political heavyweight, Willie Brown, dubbed him “big time” and “the movie...

Attorney and political analyst Katie Zacharia discusses a recent Politico report claiming California Gov. Gavin Newsom is the 2028 frontrunner on ‘Fox News @ Night.’ California Gov. Gavin Newsom has an advantage with liberal Hollywood in his home state, and a new report shows he could be winning the early battle for the deep pockets of Tinseltown ahead of the 2028... "He’s a fighter, that’s what we need!" a top-tier producer described as a "reliable Dem ATM over the decades" told Deadline. "I just wish more Democrats, like [Chuck] Schumer and the leadership (in Congress), would emulate him, not take any s--- from Trump."

Newsom has won plaudits on the left for his more pugnacious style toward President Donald Trump, trolling him on social media while also embracing new media platforms like podcasts and Substack. He also earned some love in progressive Hollywood for his fight for Prop 50, the amendment Californians passed easily last month that gerrymandered districts in favor of Democrats to offset Republican efforts in Texas. President-elect Donald Trump has yet to be sworn in, but Democrats have already begun jockeying to see who could emerge in pole position for the 2028 election. Despite Democrats’ claims to have a deep bench, there is really only one with enough of a national profile to be considered a potential front runner: California Governor Gavin Newsom. To be sure, while Vice President Kamala Harris would theoretically be the presumed front runner, her loss to Donald Trump raises doubts as to Harris’ future viability, and even her aspirations. Of course, this is not to disparage Harris, who stepped into an unprecedented role after President Biden withdrew from the race in late July.

According to post-election polling from Emerson, Harris was the top choice among Democrats for 2028 (37%), well ahead of Newsom (7%). And yet, this far out from 2028, Harris’ lead is almost entirely due to name recognition, rather than a genuine desire for her to run again or a belief that she is even the...

Gavin Newsom Declared As The Democratic Party S 2028 Frontrunner Msn

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