As the 2028 presidential race begins to take shape, California Governor Gavin Newsom finds himself at the center of a political maelstrom, facing criticism from across the aisle, navigating a simmering feud with a fellow Californian Democrat, and fending off questions about his own leadership record. The past week has brought a flurry of candid interviews, pointed accusations, and revelations about the behind-the-scenes jockeying among Democrats eager to capture the White House in three years’ time.
On December 10, 2025, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, delivered a scathing assessment of Newsom’s prospects on the podcast “Pod Force One.” According to The New York Post, Dhillon declared Newsom’s “state leadership failures” disqualifying for a 2028 presidential run, arguing that his record was marred by notable personal foibles and missteps. “He isn’t untested, like Obama was, in a way,” Dhillon said, “but has notable personal foibles and failures.”
Dhillon, herself a former California resident, didn’t stop at Newsom. She suggested that Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, known for her progressive stances and media savvy, might be a more promising candidate for Democrats. “I think AOC is one of those fictionally created-in-a-lab characters that may be a more promising one for them,” Dhillon remarked, adding, “That’s the bigger threat. The Zohran Mamdanis of the world, who are charismatic, attractive, diabolical, that’s the next generation.”
Newsom, age 58, is term-limited and set to leave office in January 2027, but speculation about his presidential ambitions has only grown louder. According to RealClearPolitics polling cited by The New York Post, Newsom currently leads the Democratic primary field for 2028 with 28% support, trailed by former Vice President Kamala Harris at 20%, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 11.5%, and Ocasio-Cortez at 8.5%. This lead comes despite persistent criticism from both Republicans and Democrats about his handling of state affairs and his perceived focus on national politics over California’s pressing issues.
The governor’s recent trip to Washington, DC, in early December to request an additional $34 billion in wildfire recovery aid from Congress underscored the challenges he faces. As reported by The Post, officials at the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA refused to meet with Newsom, a snub that highlighted the ongoing tensions between California’s leadership and federal authorities. The standoff is emblematic of the fraught relationship between Newsom and the Trump administration, with both sides exchanging barbs over disaster aid, energy policy, and law enforcement responses to unrest in Los Angeles.
Dhillon’s criticisms carry added weight given her role in leading multiple lawsuits against Newsom’s administration. Most recently, her Civil Rights Division has challenged California’s adoption of Proposition 50, a redistricting plan alleged to “racially gerrymander congressional districts in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.” Dhillon recused herself from the case, as her former law firm initiated the suit, but she has made clear her poor impression of Newsom’s team, referencing a controversy in which she was falsely implicated in the firebombing of a judge’s home in South Carolina. “They blamed me and Stephen Miller for that, and you get death threats because of that? I had to literally call the police over some threats that I received,” Dhillon told The Post.
The incident in question occurred on October 5, 2025, when Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein’s home in Edisto Beach was engulfed in flames. While the cause remains undetermined, members of Newsom’s staff publicly pointed to Dhillon and other Trump administration officials as having previously targeted the judge, sparking a wave of threats against her. Newsom’s director of communications, Izzy Gardon, countered that Dhillon owed the governor’s office “a full apology for her blatantly false implications,” and accused Trump officials of fostering a dangerous and un-American rhetoric against the judiciary.
Meanwhile, Newsom has been busy managing not only external attacks but also challenges from within his own party. A simmering feud with former Vice President Kamala Harris has come to light, as both prepare for possible 2028 presidential bids. As reported by The Daily Mail, Harris revealed in her memoir “107 Days” that Newsom failed to return her call after Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, responding instead with a terse text: “Hiking. Will call back.” Although Newsom ultimately endorsed Harris as the nominee, the slight was memorable enough for Harris to include in her book. When Newsom later challenged Harris about the anecdote, she replied, “On book tour. Get back to you later.”
The rivalry is not just personal—it’s political. Some of Harris’ closest former advisors have now joined Newsom’s team as he ramps up his national profile. According to The New York Times, Newsom has worked with her former campaign manager on redistricting efforts and has adopted a brash, Trump-like social media strategy to boost his national visibility. “I think the biggest challenge for anyone who runs for any office is that people see right through you if you don’t have that ‘why,’” Newsom told CBS in October, acknowledging that a presidential run was on his mind.
Harris, for her part, has offered only measured praise for her rival. When asked if she would support a future President Newsom, she said, “He has to make that decision if he wants to first. I think Gavin is very talented. I really do. And I think we have many talented people.” Despite their shared history—both were sworn into California politics on the same day two decades ago and were mentored by Willie Brown—their relationship has grown increasingly complicated as the stakes rise.
Newsom’s critics, including Dhillon, have seized on these internal divisions, as well as his pivot to the political center and his combative social media presence, to question his readiness for national office. At the same time, Newsom has sought to turn the conversation toward national issues, warning Democrats to remain vigilant about Republican efforts to “rig” the 2028 election. In an interview on “The Jack Cocchiarella Show” the weekend before December 9, Newsom said he’s less concerned about a potential third Trump term due to the former president’s age, but emphasized that “free and fair” elections are the paramount issue defining the 2026 midterms and beyond. “I completely believe that this notion of fair and free elections… that issue is the issue that will define the 2026 midterm,” Newsom said, according to Nexstar Media.
He cautioned that Republicans could try to rig the 2028 race for whichever candidate Trump chooses, be it JD Vance, Marco Rubio, or even one of Trump’s children. “That’s why we have to be mindful of JD Vance. And we have to be mindful that they could try to rig that election for whoever he decides. Is it Vance-Rubio, Rubio-Vance? Is it his son? Is it, you know, daughter? I mean, I’m serious. I mean, which member of the family is it? Barron?” Newsom asked, underscoring the uncertainty and high stakes of the coming contests.
As 2025 draws to a close, the battle lines for 2028 are already being drawn, with Newsom at the center of a high-stakes, high-drama contest that promises to test the Democratic Party’s unity, resilience, and appetite for bold leadership. Whether Newsom can weather the criticism, mend fences within his party, and convince voters he’s the right choice remains to be seen—but one thing’s certain: the road to the White House is shaping up to be anything but dull.
