Governor Gavin Newsom of California, widely regarded as a progressive leader, engaged in a discussion with Chuck Todd from NBC to express his perspectives on the ongoing Democratic Party’s presidential contest and his potential inclination to assume the position of a prominent contender against President Joe Biden in the upcoming 2024 election.

Although Governor Newsom has advocated for more progressive positions on issues such as student debt and gun control, he has been less forthcoming about rumors that he would be a more qualified candidate for the party’s nomination than the current governor.

“I think we need to move past this notion that [Biden] is not going to run. President Biden is going to run and looking forward to getting reelected. I think there’s been so much wallowing and hand-wringing in the last few months,” Newsom said.

Todd questioned Governor Newsom about the interpretation of his statements as endorsing either Biden’s candidacy or that of Vice President Kamala Harris if Biden decides not to run. In response, Governor Newsom took a positive and ebullient stance.

“It’s the Biden-Harris administration. Maybe I’m a little old fashioned about presidents and vice presidents,” he added.

Infer from this that the California Democrat will not actively pursue the party’s nomination in the upcoming year.

In recent months, Governor Newsom has increased his national profile by proclaiming his support for a 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would prohibit assault weapons. He has even taken out print and digital advertisements urging citizens to sign a petition urging Congress to act. As the former mayor of San Francisco, Newsom’s progressive credentials are uncontested and he would have posed a formidable challenge from the left to an unpopular Democratic president who struggles to retain the support of young and minority voters.

Nonetheless, Newsom’s withdrawal from consideration does not offer President Biden an easy path to the nomination. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a member of the illustrious Democratic family, has launched an insurgent campaign against Biden and generated unexpectedly strong polling results in key states. Kennedy has made headlines for, among other things, advocating for an investigation into Biden’s possible involvement in conspiracies with his son Hunter and other family members to enrich themselves while he was vice president.