Pelosi ‘Fan-Girling’ Over Newsom, Will Back His 2028 Run
As Democrats quietly maneuver for 2028, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears determined to shape the party’s future — and she’s reportedly placing an early bet on California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
According to multiple political outlets, Pelosi — who is retiring from Congress this year — has been working both publicly and privately to elevate Newsom’s national standing as a potential presidential contender. While Newsom has not formally announced a 2028 White House bid, his increasing media appearances and national travel have fueled speculation that he is preparing for a run.
Pelosi has made little effort to hide her admiration.
“She’s a Gavin fan-girl and she doesn’t crush on many people,” one former Pelosi aide told Axios. “I will say this: She’s hardly ever wrong. When she says she sees something, it’s a real thing.”
Observers note that Pelosi’s extensive donor network and institutional influence within the Democratic Party could provide Newsom with significant early infrastructure — especially as Democrats begin quietly consolidating support ahead of what could be a crowded 2028 primary field.
Her praise has been effusive.
“From the standpoint of leadership, vision, and values, knowledge of the issues, strategic thinking about how to get things done …. he’s masterful,” Pelosi told The New Yorker.
“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,” she 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, while adding that Democrats have “many strong candidates” for 2028.
The alignment between the two California Democrats was visible last fall when Newsom pushed for a redistricting referendum designed to strengthen Democratic prospects in upcoming elections — a move that followed President Donald J. Trump’s encouragement for conservative-led states to pursue lawful redistricting reforms of their own. The episode highlighted the increasingly strategic posture Democrats are adopting as they seek to counter Republican momentum heading into President Trump’s second term.
The day before the referendum vote, Pelosi and Newsom appeared together at a joint press conference.
“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.”
Newsom spokesperson Lindsey Cobia reinforced the admiration in comments to 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.”
Even as Democratic power brokers quietly organize, speculation about 2028 has expanded beyond traditional political circles. An artificial intelligence simulation recently generated a hypothetical forecast for the next presidential election, drawing attention across social media and YouTube.
The projection was created using Grok, an AI chatbot developed by a company associated with Elon Musk. In the simulation — prompted by a YouTube host — the system produced a state-by-state electoral map and vote projections based on hypothetical nominees from both parties.
As the host explained, “In this video, I asked Grok AI to predict the 2028 presidential election and give us a map forecast.”
The result? The AI model projected Sen. J. D. Vance winning 312 electoral votes to Vice President Kamala Harris’ 212, comfortably surpassing the 270 needed to claim the presidency.
Within the Democratic primary simulation, Harris led early polling with 32 percent support, ahead of Newsom’s 23.8 percent — suggesting that while Pelosi may be rallying institutional support behind the California governor, the grassroots base could remain divided.
While AI-generated maps are hardly predictive, the broader takeaway is unmistakable: Democrats are already positioning for 2028 — and Pelosi appears intent on ensuring Newsom is at the center of that conversation. Meanwhile, Republicans aligned with President Trump’s America First agenda are signaling confidence that the conservative coalition remains strong heading into the next cycle.