Pelosi's new campaign: Boost Newsom for 2028
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Photo Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios. Photos: Saul Loeb, Patrick T. Fallon/Getty Images
Nancy Pelosi is retiring from Congress, but she has more campaigns in mind. Among them: Boost Gavin Newsom as a potential contender for the White House in 2028.
Why it matters: Publicly and privately, the former speaker has been touting the California governor, a fellow San Franciscan she's helped mentor for decades.
Driving the news: Pelosi has one of the strongest donor networks in Democratic politics. She's been a key validator for Newsom as he's emerged on the national stage and become one of President Trump's most visible foes.
- "She's a Gavin fan-girl and she doesn't crush on many people," one former Pelosi aide said. "I will say this: She's hardly ever wrong. When she says she sees something, it's a real thing."
- Former Pelosi aides told Axios the former speaker was always eager to publicly vouch for Newsom whenever asked, and that she's privately expressed admiration for how he has navigated Trump with a combination of defiance and charm.
In recent national profiles of Newsom, Pelosi has lavished praise.
- "From the standpoint of leadership, vision, and values, knowledge of the issues, strategic thinking about how to get things done .... he's masterful," she told The New Yorker, a quote so effusive it surprised some former Pelosi aides.
- "I've seen him grow politically, I've also seen him have this beautiful family, and for all of us who love him, seeing him evolve has been wonderful to behold," Pelosi told Vogue.
- "Everybody thinks of Gavin and a silver spoon. But that isn't right," she told The Atlantic. "He was a very hard worker in everything that he did, whether it was personally, professionally, and then civically."
- "He'd make a great president," Pelosi told Politico this week, before adding that Democrats have many strong potential candidates for 2028.
Reality check: Pelosi remains largely focused on taking back the House of Representatives for Democrats this year, and making House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaker.
- It's unclear how much she'll help Newsom publicly after she leaves Congress.
Zoom in: The Newsom-Pelosi partnership was on full display last fall, when Newsom pushed a redistricting referendum to help Democrats in this year's midterms after Trump pushed conservative states to do the same.
- The day before that referendum, Newsom and Pelosi had a press conference in which they heaped praise on each other.
- "Nancy Pelosi doesn't go out to try to make points, she makes a difference," Newsom said. "Nancy, thank you for your inspiration. Thank you for your work, thank you for allowing us to build on that."
Between the lines: 2028 will be the first election in more than two decades in which Pelosi won't be House Democrats' leader during a competitive presidential primary.
- That gives her more freedom to put her hand on the scale in the upcoming Democratic contest in a way she's not done before — but it's unclear how far she'll go.
- Spokespeople for Newsom and Pelosi declined to comment.
The intrigue: The San Franciscans share many associations. Pelosi's brother-in-law was married to Newsom's aunt.
- When asked about the 58-year-old governor, Pelosi, 85, frequently says a version of: I knew him before he was born.
What they're saying: A Pelosi spokesperson declined to comment.
- Newsom spokesperson Lindsey Cobia told Axios: "Gov. Newsom believes Speaker Pelosi is the epitome of selfless public service and will go down in history as one of the most consequential leaders of our time."
