Kamala Harris's Former Boyfriend Willie Brown Predicts Gavin Newsom Would Beat 'Loser' Ex in 2028 Democratic Presidential Showdown
Kamala Harris has been tipped to lose a potential 2028 Democratic presidential showdown with Gavin Newsom by Willie Brown.
June 9 2026, Updated 11:48 a.m. ET
Kamala Harris has been tipped to lose a potential 2028 Democratic presidential showdown with Gavin Newsom by her ex-boyfriend, former mayor of San Francisco Willie Brown.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Brown, 92, believes Newsom, 58, would be the more "viable" candidate than Harris, 61, "because he would not be the most recent loser," a nod to the her 2024 election defeat to Donald Trump.
'You Really Want to Embrace a Winner'
Brown says Democrats are most likely to back a candidate with a background in winning.
Speaking to ABC News, Brown explained: "When you embrace somebody for the job, you really want to embrace a winner, and Newsom would be what you would have to say at the moment is a winner."
Brown also said he was "surprised" Harris had not run to succeed Newsom, adding: "I would have advised her to be elected governor, so that she would be in the same identical position, if not better than for electability nationally than Newsom."
"If she was in the category of being on January 8, 2027, the governor of California, the dialogue would be about her candidacy, not about anybody else's," he added.
'It Will Be Difficult for Her to Win That Job'
Brown previously said he would have advised Harris not to run for governor of the state of California.
Brown has made a U-turn on his stance, as he said the opposite during an interview with CNN's Elex Michaelson last year.
"She may not want to run for governor of the state of California. That may not be where she should be going. I think it’s going to be difficult for her to win that job," argued Brown at the time.
"He (Brown) talked about her (Harris's) strengths in the legal world, but not as an executive, which to me was pretty stunning because this is a guy who knows her very well. He’s a legend in Democratic politics, right? He’s been a mentor to Kamala. And he actually cares about the future of California authentically, and he in effect said she should try something different," noted Michaelson.
'Two Cats Circling Each Other'
Newsom and Harris have been in competition for some time, said a Democratic strategist
Democratic strategist Garry South told The Wall Street Journal last week that Newsom and Harris have "been kind of like two cats, circling each other in an alley for years, politically speaking" for a piece about the possibility of them running against each other.
The pair have already traded blows with one another over Newsom’s reaction to Harris’s ascension to the top of the Democratic ticket in 2024.
Harris dated Brown in the mid-90s when she was around 29 and he was 60, during a time when he acted as speaker of the California Assembly.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Harris dated Brown during her late 20s and he was a big influence on her career.
Over the course of the relationship, Brown took her on a business trip to Boston where he was meeting Trump, according to the 2021 book Kamala’s Way: An American Life by journalist Dean Morain.
Their relationship was well known in San Francisco, with the Chronicle describing Harris as "the speaker’s new steady," and the Los Angeles Times calling Harris Brown's "frequent companion."
In November 1994, as his term as speaker was ending, Brown appointed Harris — who was then working in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office — to the California Medical Assistance Commission, a job which paid $72,000 a year and required attending monthly meetings.
Speaking in 2019, Brown said: "Yes, we dated. Yes, I may have influenced her career by appointing her to two state commissions when I was Assembly speaker. And I certainly helped with her first race for district attorney in San Francisco."
