Gavin Newsom Poised to be Democrats’ Next Leader?

Gavin Newsom may be making all the noise, but now Washington insiders are making it official.

A new survey says the California governor is seen as the Democrat best positioned to lead his party during President Donald Trump’s second term, putting him far ahead of the other names floating around the 2028 conversation.

That is a major signal from inside the Beltway.

According to the Punchbowl News and LSG survey, about three-quarters of Democratic and Republican insiders surveyed said Newsom is the top Democrat to watch. That gave him a commanding edge over other potential party leaders, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

For a party still trying to figure out its future in the Trump era, Newsom’s rise looks less like a rumor now and more like a warning shot.

The slick California governor has spent months boosting his national profile, traveling the country, hammering the Trump administration in speeches, and trying to turn himself into the face of Democrat resistance. He has even leaned into social media jabs aimed straight at Trump, mimicking the president’s posting style while attacking his agenda.

That approach may be winning headlines, but it is not exactly a lock with actual primary voters.

While Newsom’s approval numbers have improved, the early 2028 picture is far from settled. An Emerson College poll in March showed his net approval rating climbing into positive territory after being underwater just a few months earlier. But a Saint Anselm College survey out of New Hampshire painted a less flattering picture, showing his support in that state’s Democratic primary dropping to 15 percent, down nine points since November.

So while insiders may love the packaging, rank-and-file voters seem a little less convinced.

Still, Newsom is not hiding the fact that he is thinking about a White House run. Asked previously whether he would jump into the 2028 race, he admitted the idea is very much on his mind, even as he said family remains his top priority.

That admission only fueled more speculation that the California governor is positioning himself for a national launch as soon as his second term ends in January 2027.

And of course, no Newsom story is complete without Trump.

The two men have been locked in a bitter public feud ever since Trump returned to office. Their clashes have stretched from immigration enforcement to wildfire aid to foreign policy. Newsom has accused Trump of driving up oil and gas prices through the Iran war, while Trump has fired back with deeply personal attacks, mocking the governor’s dyslexia and dismissing him as unfit for higher office.

Newsom, for his part, has gone on offense. In a March appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he blasted Trump as “historically unpopular” and predicted Democrats would crush Republicans in the midterms.

That kind of red-meat anti-Trump rhetoric may thrill liberal donors and cable news audiences. But for many right-leaning voters, it is likely to reinforce the image of Newsom as the polished California politician eager to lecture the rest of the country while his own state faces nonstop criticism over crime, homelessness, and economic strain.

Even so, inside Democratic circles, his name is only getting louder.

The latest survey suggests that when party insiders look ahead to 2028, Newsom is the one they see standing at the front of the pack. Whether voters across the country feel the same way is another question entirely.

For now, one thing is clear: Democrats appear to be circling Gavin Newsom as their next big hope in the fight against Trump — and Republicans would probably love nothing more than to make him the face of the other side.