California Governor Gavin Newsom is “undeniably, unequivocally” planning to run for president in 2024 if President Biden chooses not to seek a second term, two individuals with knowledge of Newsom’s plans told TheWrap.

“After this midterm election is over, he absolutely is going to announce that he is running for the presidency once Biden announces that he is not running,” a leading California fundraiser with close ties to the Newsom family told TheWrap. “No ifs, ands or buts. He will run if Biden does not.”

A second individual close to the governor, a Los Angeles philanthropist with deep connections in the Democratic Party and a long history of fundraising for its candidates, confirmed Newsom’s intention to run.

But is Biden running again? In a “60 Minutes” interview that aired on Sunday, Biden told CBS’ Scott Pelley that it’s “much too early” to make a decision on that. “Look, my intention, as I said to begin with, is that I would run again,” Biden said. “But it’s just an intention. But is it a firm decision that I run again? That remains to be seen.”

Officially, Newsom — a Democrat who’s expected to easily win a second term in California’s gubernatorial race this November — has said he has “sub-zero interest” in running for president in 2024. A staffer in Newsom’s administration reiterated that statement to TheWrap.

But his recent actions have already begun to create a much higher profile for the former San Francisco mayor beyond California. On Friday, the governor was in the news when he launched billboard campaigns in Texas, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota and Oklahoma attacking abortion restrictions in those individual states. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has become a wedge issue in elections across the country. Newsom’s billboards direct people to a website – abortion.ca.gov – with information on how to obtain an abortion in California.

Officially, Newsom — a Democrat who’s expected to easily win a second term in California’s gubernatorial race this November — has said he has “sub-zero interest” in running for president in 2024. A staffer in Newsom’s administration reiterated that statement to TheWrap.

But his recent actions have already begun to create a much higher profile for the former San Francisco mayor beyond California. On Friday, the governor was in the news when he launched billboard campaigns in Texas, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota and Oklahoma attacking abortion restrictions in those individual states. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has become a wedge issue in elections across the country. Newsom’s billboards direct people to a website – abortion.ca.gov – with information on how to obtain an abortion in California.

But the first big clue that the governor’s political plans extend beyond the Golden State occurred in July, when Newsom ran a TV ad campaign that aired in Florida and Ohio, which criticized the Republican Party’s shift to the right on issues such as abortion and free speech.