California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is seeing his name rise toward the top of potential 2028 contenders following his fight with President Trump over the unrest in Los Angeles.

In the wake of immigration protests that roiled the city and prompted Trump to send in the National Guard without Newsom’s approval, the governor has framed himself as the face of resistance to Trump’s second-term moves, energizing Democrats and upping his 2028 primary chances in a recent Morning Consult poll.

But Democrats also acknowledge Newsom faces an uphill climb as he handles the end of his tenure as governor and navigates the nation’s polarized political climate.

“He's doing really well among Democrats, both in California and throughout the nation. He's getting a boost in 2025,” said John Pitney, a politics professor at Claremont McKenna College in California.

“Unfortunately for him, a presidential nomination won't happen until 2028.”

Newsom, who emerged during Trump’s first administration as a leader of the Democratic resistance, started the year with what appeared to be a friendlier approach to the administration and a GOP-controlled Washington. He struck a conciliatory tone as he lobbied Trump for aid after catastrophic wildfires ravaged California in the winter, and then he made headlines with the launch of a podcast hosting prominent Trump supporters.

The moves were a pivot toward the center amid speculation about whether he would launch a 2028 bid. But when Trump responded to protests this month over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids by sending in hundreds of

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