The 2028 Democratic Presidential Nomination Sweepstakes Begins….

And we have California Governor Gavin Newsom in the lead….

Pete Buttigieg was in second….

But he maube repalced by Sen. Mark Kelly…..

Kamala Harris was assumed to NOT be able to get a serious run…

AOC IS NOT a serious player…

Gavin Newsom‘s Democratic rivals are plotting how to take down the early 2028 frontrunner, with a heavy emphasis on how unpopular his left-leaning views are outside deep-blue California.

Driving the news: Our conversations with more than 20 Democratic operatives, including several working for 2028 hopefuls, reveal that they see the California governor as the guy to beat — and a guy with a lot of personal baggage that’s exploitable for a presidential primary.

• Newsom, 58, has begun trying to swat down or get ahead of such arguments. That effort includes his new book coming in February, “Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery.”

Newsom’s surge this year — driven partly by his trolling of President Trump and a successful redistricting push in California to counter Trump’s red-state redistricting — has drawn respect and envy from other Democratic leaders.

• Many now begrudgingly admit they underestimated him.
• “Objectively, Gavin has probably done the best from the 2028ers in the last year,” said one source who’s working for another possible presidential candidate.
• “It’s a superficial sugar high,” another said of Newsom’s surge.

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Between the lines: Newsom and his team are already working to fight such opposition…

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• As progressives and moderates are clashing over the Democratic Party’s direction, Newsom resists defining himself as a progressive or a moderate — instead saying he supports a big tent.
• He stands by some of his left-wing policies, but he also signed deregulatory legislation this year in a push to build more housing.

Newsom also has hosted right-wing figures such as Steve Bannon and the late Charlie Kirk on his podcast, which he launched this year. He emphasizes respectful conversation rather than heated debate — which has drawn criticism from some progressive Democrats.

What they’re saying: A Newsom adviser called rival operatives’ plotting against Newsom “ridiculous shadow boxing from overcaffeinated Beltway consultants.”…

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Newsom says his new book won’t be a typical political memoir and will include details on “public and private moments that I’ll always regret.”

• “This is a story about a kid who always felt like he wasn’t quite enough,” Newsom says in a trailer promoting the book. “It’s a story about living between two worlds — one of wealth and privilege — and the other a more modest upbringing.”….

More….

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