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One of the most high-profile Democrats who’s considered a likely top-tier contender for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination is getting a red carpet welcome at a major Democratic Party summit.
The potential White House candidate, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, was treated like a VIP on Thursday as he held meetings and mingled with delegates during the opening day of the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) annual winter meeting, which this year is being held in Los Angeles.
“Newsom received a rock star reception as he was mobbed by party leaders and activists alike while he attempted to walk to his next of the many meetings set up yesterday,” a DNC committee member who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely told Fox News Digital Friday morning.
The home state governor’s reception at the DNC confab comes as the party aims to rebound after last year’s sweeping defeats, when Democrats lost control of the White House and Senate and fell short of winning back the House majority.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during an election night press conference at a California Democratic Party office Nov. 4, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)
But Democrats are energized, thanks to the party’s decisive victories in last month’s 2025 elections and better-than-expected performances in this year’s special elections, which were fueled in part by their emphasis on affordability.
DNC delegates and party officials are reviewing this year’s ballot box successes and holding training sessions to prepare for next year’s crucial midterm elections.
“As we head into the midterms, we are unified, focused and ready to fight to lower costs for working people,” DNC Chair Ken Martin emphasized in a statement to Fox News.
Also firing up Democrats is their intense opposition to President Donald Trump and his unprecedented second-term agenda. And they’re starting to search for a 2028 standard-bearer who can win back the presidency.
With the unofficial start of the next White House race less than a year away, and what’s likely to be a bruising battle among Democrats over the party’s presidential nominating calendar getting underway, 2028 is also in the spotlight at the DNC meeting.
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Newsom’s stature in his own party has soared this year, thanks to his very vocal and visual pushback against the president, including his viral social media trolling of Trump and his successful California push to counter the Republican congressional redistricting effort.
“Newsom has shown an ability to stand up to Trump in a bold and highly effective manner without shying away from core democratic values,” veteran Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo told Fox News Digital.
And Lucas Meyer, the former longtime president of the New Hampshire Young Democrats, and founder of the advocacy group 603 Forward, noted that “Newsom is getting attention right now because he’s extremely quick on his feet.”
“He’s sharp — maybe too slick for some folks in New Hampshire — combative, engaging and even funny in a way that cuts through,” Meyer added. “In a media environment that rewards speed and conflict, that skill set stands out and, for me, is a premium quality in any candidate, especially compared to Democrats who are more cautious or procedural.”
The governor, asked by CBS News in October if he would give a presidential bid “serious thought” after the 2026 midterms, answered, “Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise. I’d just be lying, and I can’t do that.”
Newsom on Thursday met with the Democratic Party chairs from New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state, and Nevada, another crucial early voting state.
“We had a great discussion on a wide range of issues,” longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley told Fox News Digital.
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While Newsom’s stature among Democrats is on the rise, the politician is still viewed with some suspicion by the progressive left wing of the party.
“I think there are a lot of people on the left that are not bought in that he’s a progressive candidate, but they’re bought in that he’s the right voice right now as the contrarian personality to go up against Trump,” Michael Ceraso, a Democratic strategist and founder of the communications firm Winning Margins told Fox News Digital.
But Ceraso argued that “what he’s doing today I don’t think will help him in a 2028 presidential primary other than giving him some hoopla and hype.”
And some moderate Democrats worry that if Newsom becomes their presidential nominee, Republicans would use his California record as a cudgel to bash the party’s 2028 ticket.
If Newsom ends up running in 2028, he’s likely to be joined by a large crowd of other contenders.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks to the press Sept. 2, 2025, in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
One of them, two-term Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, was also making the rounds at the DNC meeting.
Pritzker, who’s running for re-election next year, told NBC News in August that “I can’t rule anything out” when asked about a possible White House run.
Fox News Digital confirmed that Pritzker raised over $1 million for the DNC at a fundraiser Thursday night. The billionaire governor was introduced at the fundraiser by Conan O’Brien, and Billy Crystal, Martin Short and Jane Fonda also spoke at the event.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s 2024 presidential nominee, is also participating at the winter meeting.
Harris, who earlier this year passed on launching a 2026 gubernatorial campaign in her home state of California, is keeping the door wide open to a 2028 presidential run.
“I am not done,” the former vice president said in an October interview with the BBC. “I have lived my entire career as a life of service, and it’s in my bones.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Emerge 20th Anniversary Gala in San Francisco April 30, 2025. (Camille Cohen/AFP via Getty Images)
A DNC committee member saw appearances at the winter meeting by the three Democratic heavyweights as an early screen test.
“It sets the tone not just for a Democratic landslide in the 2026 midterm elections, but it gives them an opportunity to start honing in on a winning message for Democrats in 2028,” said the committee member, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely.
While Harris, Newsom and Pritzker are among the most well-known Democrats nationally, there are more than a dozen other Democrats thought to be potential 2028 White House contenders. And most of them have also been paying visits to the early voting states, as well as parachuting onto the 2025 campaign trail.
Among them are governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Wes Moore of Maryland and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; senators Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut; progressive superstar Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rep. Ro Khanna of California, another leading progressive; and two moderate Democrats, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former Chicago mayor and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks during a rally in New York City May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
With the Democrats aiming to win back the House majority and possibly the Senate in the 2026 midterms, expect plenty of campaign traffic next year from the potential 2028 contenders.
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“It was my impression, talking to the various camps, that they’ll be very engaged … because they realize how critically important it is to win the House and Senate majority but also help elect candidates up and down the ballot,” Buckley said.
And Caiazzo highlighted that Democrats “are in for a long and intense presidential primary which has historically been a good thing for our party.”
