Newsom had been an outspoken advocate for Harris and, before he dropped out of the race, President Joe Biden. The governor, who is barred by term limits from running again, attended a number of Democratic campaign events in swing states, and his political action committees spent big on boosting Biden prior to his July exit from the race.

The California governor described federalism as the "cornerstone of our democracy" in an X post reacting to Donald Trump's win.