2028 Cycle

Backers of California's Proposition 40, a November ballot measure that would impose a 5% tax on billionaires' assets to offset federal health care funding cuts, are launching ads in early presidential primary states attacking Gov. Gavin Newsom for opposing it. Funded by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West and former Stripe engineers Saikat Chakrabarti and Ross Boucher, the ads accuse Newsom of protecting billionaire donors, including Stewart Resnick, Chris Larsen, Eric Schmidt and Michael Moritz, and are set to run in South Carolina, Nevada, New Mexico, Virginia and New Hampshire. Newsom says wealth taxes should be federal, not state-level. The measure has divided Democrats; it's backed by the state party and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Gavin Newsom drew large crowds during a swing through New Hampshire, promising a Democratic "blue tsunami" in the midterms. But the visit also exposed skepticism among some of the state's influential Democrats about his viability as a future presidential contender. Former Rep. Annie Kuster, a longtime Pete Buttigieg backer, said she was unsure what would draw New Hampshire voters to Newsom, calling him "flashy" and questioning whether his record as California governor addresses concerns like cost of living and distrust of Washington. The episode underscores early, informal jockeying among Democrats ahead of the 2028 presidential primary, with New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation status drawing heightened attention to such visits.

A CalMatters investigation found that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has built a 24-person taxpayer-funded communications team costing at least $2.6 million a year, roughly double the 12 staffers his office had in January 2020. The expanded operation includes a full-time photographer paid $212,000 annually, event location scouts, and livestream camera operators, functioning as an around-the-clock content operation.

The growth comes even as Newsom rarely takes questions from Sacramento press and his agencies frequently decline interview requests; his office stopped issuing press credentials years ago, and only 10 to 20 reporters typically attend his press conferences. Observers note the only comparable staffing came under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who held weekly briefings and credentialed hundreds of reporters. Newsom's official accounts have increasingly used memes and mockery of political opponents, prompting criticism from Republican strategists that his communications team functions as a political and image-building apparatus. The scrutiny comes as Newsom is widely seen as positioning for a potential 2028 presidential campaign.

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock drew on his history as senior pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church during an Oct. 13 stop in Columbia, South Carolina, telling Democrats and clergy they could not afford to lose the "fight between hope and despair." He criticized Republican cuts to food stamps and Medicaid eligibility, invoked civil rights history, and urged support for Senate candidate Annie Andrews.

Warnock plans to return to South Carolina this weekend to campaign with Andrews and gubernatorial nominee Jermaine Johnson ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms and early voting. His visits to South Carolina, along with earlier stops in New Hampshire and Nevada — the early presidential primary states — have renewed speculation about a 2028 presidential bid. Warnock downplayed the talk, saying he is focused on 2026 and retaking a Senate majority. Other Democrats eyeing national profiles, including Rahm Emanuel, Andy Beshear, Mark Kelly, Ro Khanna, Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg, have also recently visited the early-voting state.