‘So many people dislike you’: Watch Mark Halperin tell Gavin Newsom point-blank he doesn’t see him in 2028 presidential race

Political commentator Mark Halperin told Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom point-blank on Tuesday that he does not believe Newsom will run in the 2028 presidential race.

Halperin told Newsom on “Next Up with Mark Halperin” that Newsom will not successfully run in the Democratic primary because he is unpopular and will face scrutiny on several issues. The California governor floated the idea of entering the primary during an Oct. 26 interview on “CBS News Sunday Morning,” and many polls found him leading other possible Democratic contenders.

“I say all the time, I don’t think you’re gonna run. I think you may get in and then get out. But I think because so many people dislike you, which is true, maybe the book will take the edge off of that. Because you’re gonna get scrutiny for stuff you’ve never gotten scrutiny [for] before. That’s what happens if you run. I just think, my gut says you’re not gonna run in the end,” Halperin said.

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Newsom stated that receiving scrutiny will not be the deciding factor on whether or not he decides to run, though he said his children’s opposition would prevent him from entering the 2028 race.

Halperin later praised Newsom’s “skillful” ability to combat President Donald Trump and conservative media, as well as his ability to write a “great, revealing, honest book.”

“Just your understanding of the media, your understanding of how to combat Donald Trump, which tens of millions of people want someone to do skillfully. And the fact that you can write a great, revealing, honest book is super impressive,” Halperin told Newsom.

A Decision Desk HQ polling average shows Newsom with a 41.8% unfavorable rating and a 30% favorable rating.

Newsom narrowly led other possible contenders in a potential Democratic primary with 19%, while former Vice President Kamala Harris came in second with 18%, CNN senior data analyst Harry Enten said on Feb. 24. Harris led by an average of 6.5 points as of Tuesday, according to RealClearPolling.

Early polling also found Newsom and Vice President J.D. Vance were neck-and-neck in a potential 2028 general election.

Newsom’s popularity has declined since August, when Newsom began mocking Trump on social media, Enten found. His chances of becoming president dropped from 37% in November to 28% in February.

The California governor received backlash for telling Democratic Atlanta Mayor Andrew Dickens, who is black, during a Feb. 22 event that he relates to him because he cannot read and scored a 960 on his SATs. He, along with Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, also came under intense scrutiny over his handling of the wildfires in Los Angeles that directly killed at least 31 people and destroyed nearly 16,000 homes.

Newsom’s administration failed to crack down on the homeless crisis in California, despite having spent billion of dollars trying to fix the crisis since 2019.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Politico on Feb. 13 that Newsom “would make a great president” and has promoted him publicly.

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