President Joe Biden can forget about facing a primary challenge from this Democratic governor.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has told the White House he won’t stage a primary campaign against Biden in 2024, according to Politico.
Newsom also ruled out the possibility in an election night conversation with Politico’s Jonathan Martin.
“I’ve told everyone in the White House, from the chief of staff to the first lady,” Newsom said of his conversations with the Biden administration.
The progressive governor claimed he’d pledged his support for Biden in 2024 to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.
“I’m all in, count me in,” Newsom said of Biden’s re-election, stating he’d communicated the same pledge to Biden himself.
Newsom reiterated this promise to Biden in a call following Newsom’s his re-election earlier this month.
Newsom had been considered one of Biden’s potential primary challengers in 2024.
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The comparatively young progressive Democrat has shown a tendency to speak on national politics, often taking shots at Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
People keep asking why I’m calling out DeSantis and these Republican governors.
The answer is simple: I don’t like bullies. pic.twitter.com/dksyOash8A
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) August 26, 2022
Newsom did express his displeasure that Biden insiders had identified him as a potential threat to the president, describing himself as a loyal Democrat in spite of their suspicions.
“It’s frustrating because I have so much reverence and respect for not only the president, but the vice president is an old friend. For all of those interesting things you guys all love to write about, we’ve known each other for 25 years,” Newsom told Politico.
Newsom’s absence from the picture makes a potential Democratic primary challenge to Biden less likely.
If re-elected, Biden would be 82 when starting his second term, by far the oldest executive to begin a four-year stint in the Oval Office.
Biden has indicated he plans on running for re-election but hasn’t made his 2024 campaign official.
Newsom, who has served as California’s governor since 2019, was less willing to rule out a possible presidential bid in 2028, according to Martin.
As governor of California, Newsom has presided over a historically unprecedented wave of outbound migration and a homelessness crisis that has dramatically escalated.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.