California Governor Gavin Newsom faces a massive obstacle in his 2028 presidential ambitions: Black women voters who remain fiercely loyal to Kamala Harris despite her 2024 loss. Major Democratic donors are abandoning Harris after her defeat, but the party’s most reliable voting bloc stands firm, creating an impossible dilemma for Newsom and other challengers.
Harris Holds Unshakable Support Despite Loss
Harris captured over 92 percent of Black women voters in 2024, exceeding even Biden’s performance with this demographic. While Trump secured 20 percent of Black men—an unprecedented Republican showing—Black women remained loyal. Democratic insiders dismiss Harris as damaged goods, yet The Los Angeles Times reports major 2024 donors refuse to commit to supporting another Harris campaign. Several donors explicitly stated they won’t back her again, revealing deep fractures within the party’s financial base.
Newsom’s Calculated Wait
Newsom previously circled Biden’s presidency like a vulture, believing the president lacked capacity for reelection. However, he understood Black women voters would never forgive a white male candidate who blocked Harris from becoming America’s first female president and first Black female president. Newsom gritted his teeth and sat out 2024. Now he faces the same calculation for 2028. Black women view criticism of Harris’s laugh and rambling answers as both sexist and racist attacks, according to TheGrio.
The Democratic Party’s Impossible Choice
Sophia Nelson, writing in TheGrio, described Harris as an easy scapegoat receiving little respect from her own administration despite Black women voters putting Biden in the White House. Nelson quoted author Zora Neale Hurston, calling Black women “the mules of the world” who do all the work but receive no thanks. This sentiment captures the brewing tension between Democratic leadership seeking a new candidate and Black women demanding loyalty to Harris. Any challenger who elbows Harris aside risks alienating the party’s most dependable voters heading into 2028.
What This Means for 2028
The Democratic Party faces an unprecedented internal conflict. Donors want fresh faces after Harris lost every swing state and underperformed Biden across nearly all demographics. Yet Black women, who delivered Biden’s victory and remain the party’s foundation, refuse to abandon Harris. Newsom and other potential 2028 candidates must choose between courting donors who control campaign funds and Black women voters who control electoral outcomes. This standoff could reshape the Democratic primary landscape and determine who challenges Republicans in the next presidential election.
