Newsom's Pledge Not to Run If Kamala Does Is Insincere; He Will Run Regardless
Source: Eddie Scarry. "Newsom Is Lying. He Will Run For President, Even If Kamala Does." September 18, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that when Gavin Newsom said he wouldn't run for president if Kamala Harris runs, he wasn't being honest. Instead, the author claims Newsom is using this statement as a political chess move to discourage Harris from running again, while fully intending to run for president himself no matter what she decides.
Conclusion
Gavin Newsom is lying when he says he won't run for president if Kamala Harris runs, and he will actually run for president regardless of what Harris decides.
Premises
- Newsom, like other media-favored Democrats (Buttigieg, Booker, Ossoff), has an inflated sense of his own national viability fostered by favorable media coverage, mistaking media enthusiasm for genuine popularity.
- No one in the Democratic Party actually wants Kamala Harris to run again, given she lost every swing state and the popular vote in 2024 despite over $1 billion spent on her campaign.
- Harris has demonstrated she lacks genuine political vision, as shown by her reversing nearly all her prior policy positions once she became the 2024 nominee.
- Newsom's public statement deferring to Harris is a strategic move to pressure other party leaders into publicly or privately discouraging her from running, which benefits Newsom either way.
- Currently, no other Democrat has distinguished themselves as a viable alternative the way Newsom has, particularly citing his handling of the Texas redistricting fight against Trump.
Assumptions
- Newsom's public statements are primarily strategic political maneuvering rather than sincere commitments.
- Media coverage of Democratic politicians is generally untrustworthy or inflated ('dying national media').
- Political ambition and self-interest reliably override stated public commitments in presidential politics.
- Harris's 2024 loss and position-shifting are sufficient evidence that Democratic elites uniformly view her as undesirable as a future candidate.
- Newsom's psychological profile (described as narcissistic) is relevant evidence for predicting his future behavior.