Is Gavin Newsom considering running for president in 2024?

The dust may still be settling on the Newsom v DeSantis debate, but one line in particular sticks out with less than a year until the 2024 presidential elections.

“Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024,” Newsom quipped. DeSantis was once seen as the only realistic challenger to former president Donald Trump for the Republican party nomination, but his campaign has since floundered. Trump is very likely to be the candidate next year for Republicans.

On the other hand, the statement will do little to quell the rumours that Newsom, governor of California, is planning a run for the presidency next year. Should the incumbent president, Joe Biden, win next year he will be 82-years old. Questions remain about his suitability for the role at such an age with the vast majority of voters saying he is too old to continue.

“I’m rooting for our president and I have great confidence in his leadership,” Newsom told Fox News earlier this year.

Could Gavin Newsom challenge Joe Biden in 2024?

Despite his public support for Joe Biden, a look behind the scenes gives credence to what DeSantis described as a “shadow campaign” run by Newsom.

“[Biden] has no business running for president. And you know, Gavin Newsom agrees with that. He won’t say that,” said DeSantis. “That’s why he’s running his shadow campaign.”

Some clues for this are Newsom’s $10 million investment in a political action committee focused on spreading Democrat messages in solidly red states. The debate could also be further evidence of this; DeSantis was Trump’s up-and-coming challenger when the two agreed to debate back in August.

Others point to a donation to a Democratic mayoral candidate in Charleston, South Carolina just this week.

No candidate in the Democrat primaries is coming close to toppling Joe Biden and Newsom has not put his name forward. But polling suggests that if the 2024 election is between Biden and Trump again that it would be too close to call.

With Biden’s age a noted factor, and still plenty of time for a change to be made, don’t rule Newsom stepping up to the plate to bat against Trump next November.