The midterms may be weeks away, but many–especially on the Democrat side–already have their attention on 2028 presidential primary contest.
There are plenty of names in the mix from far-leftists like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to more moderate former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, but two of the biggest names in the game come from the west coast. Kamala Harris has tried–and failed–to run for president twice now, but she has not ruled out another go. She currently sits atop the RealClearPolitics polling average with a 10-point lead over fellow Californian Gavin Newsom.
The term-limited governor has given every indication he is going to mount his own White House bid, but he made a surprising admission to CNN’s Jake Tapper during a bizarre interview that involved fly fishing and waders.
2028 Bombshell
In the interview recorded in Montana more than a month ago, Tapper and Newsom stood in shallow water and repeatedly casted fly reels while talking politics. That is when the governor told the CNN anchor he wouldn’t run for president if Harris chooses to.
“Of course not. Why would I?” Newsom said when Tapper inquired as to whether he would challenge her in the Democratic primary. “I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t do it to me. Why would I? I wouldn’t do that to you. I wouldn’t waste everyone’s time. Who needs that?”
Tapper pushed back on the premise, noting Harris has a losing record while he represents a clean slate, which led Newsom to claim the matchup would amount to “mutually assured destruction” and be a “gift from God for everybody else.”
“I know her base of supporters. I know her friends,” Newsom said of the former California senator. “The zen diagram (sic) on that is just pure crossover… I wouldn’t do that to people.”
Subtle Strategy?
The inexplicable setting of the interview led to plenty of mocking online, but there is no denying the conversation made news. On Tuesday’s Megyn Kelly Show, Megyn said there are several things to glean from Newsom’s proclamation.
“He’s not running if Kamala Harris runs because no Democrat voter from California is going to go for the white man over the black woman,” Megyn posited. “That’s really what the truth is, though he won’t say it.”
With that in mind, Megyn theorized that Newsom could actually be trying to keep Harris from trying her hand a third time. “He clearly doesn’t want her to run. He wants to run, and maybe he is trying to amp up the pressure on her via her donors,” she suggested.
By explicitly stating his intentions so early in the process that ‘it’s me or her’ and voters are not going to get a choice of both, Megyn said Newsom might just help his chances “in a season where the Democrats think running a woman is not a smart move [after] they tried it with Hillary [Clinton], they tried it with Kamala, and they lost both times.”
“I would submit to them that the problem is not a woman, but those women,” Megyn noted. “But whatever, you do you, Democrat Party.”
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 1,398 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.