By admin 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom raised eyebrows last month when he said he wouldn’t run for president if former Vice President Kamala Harris got in the race.
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But he’s made a couple of multi-day stops in South Carolina, which will hold the Democratic Party’s First in the Nation 2028 presidential primary, including a visit early last month. He has been appearing to lay the groundwork for a White House run.
Other potential candidates, including three high-profile Democratic names who were in South Carolina on Friday, may not be waiting for Harris’ decision, with several making trips to early primary states.
Harris has been campaigning with some candidates ahead of the midterms. She campaigned with Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan last month and is expected to campaign with U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia. She also visited South Carolina as part of her book tour earlier this year.
Harris also only had 107 days as the Democratic Party’s nominee in 2024. She replaced former President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket after he withdrew from the race.
“There’s still a large constituency of people who like Kamala Harris, who believe in the policy agenda that she put forth in the 2024 election cycle,” said Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright. “The fact that she’s an African American, the fact that she’s a woman, two important constituencies within the Democratic base.”
Other hopefuls are not factoring Harris’ decision timeline into their own considerations.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who visited Orangeburg and Charleston counties Friday, told reporters his decision would not be based on other potential candidates.
“I’ve never had a free pass, and so when I sit down to decide this, it’s not going to be about who else is thinking about getting in or not,” Beshear said in Santee. “It’s am I the right person at the right moment? Are we in a place where we can not only win, but we can heal this country?”
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U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, who has made three trips to South Carolina in 2026, said Harris’ thought process would not affect his decision process.
“No single individual is going to, regardless of who they are, is going to change my decision,” Kelly told reporters Friday in Mauldin. “If I was to decide to do this, I’ve got to feel like I’m the right person at the right time, that this makes sense for the country. That this makes sense for me and my family. It’s a big commitment.”
U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, told reporters his decision on whether to run will come by the end of the year and will include a conversation during the holiday season with his family and party leaders. He added he would welcome another Harris candidacy if she wants to jump in.
He said the country should have a “spirited contest.”
“She’s obviously a person of extraordinary talent and a trailblazer,” Khanna told reporters in Conway. “But for me, I will not look at what any other person is doing. I’m going to look at, am I the right person for the moment? … And the question will be: Can I make an effective argument on that and actually implement it? That will be the criteria of whether to run, not whether any other candidate is running, but I do hope that our best candidates run.”
When Newsom made his comments to CNN, he said he and Harris have a lot of supporters and donors in common.
“I think it’s different for him because they’re both from California,” Democratic strategist Lachlan McIntosh said of Newsom. “These kinds of opportunities don’t come very often, and I imagine most candidates … probably won’t look at that the same way.”
Joseph Bustos reported from Mauldin, Lucy Valeski reported from Santee, and Maria Elena Scott reported from Conway.
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