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I'm curious as to why you think Newsom would wait until '28. He's term limited as governor, so he would leave public office and the public eye in 2026. He could attempt to land a cabinet position in early 2027, but he'd almost immediately abandon it to campaign.
He's currently well versed in the main economic issues that matter to Americans (housing and healthcare especially). The Dem slate is not strong enough to push him out, even if Biden wants to run again, and the GOP is in the middle of a fracture that could make the 2026 election a shoe-in for the Dem nominee.
Now is his time.
Newsome will wait for 2028.
Whitmer and Pritzker are sleepers. 
Pete, Kamala, and Beto won’t last past the first few primaries. They just aren’t that popular. Of those, Pete has the best chance. Ideally, he needs to move to a solid blue state and become a House member, Governor, or Senator to first. His resume still isn’t there, and he will need a massive one to overcome homophobia in America. 
Dark horse - Sherrod Brown. He won’t run, but he’s actually a perfect candidate to beat a DeSantis. I think he’d win the whole thing if he ran, but if he won, OH loses a senate seat to the GOP. I’ve also never gotten the feeling that he wants to be President. 
Mark Kelly is an outside option, but I have yet to feel any vibes coming from DNC circles about him being the guy.
Beshear of Kentucky is probably more of a 2028-2032 option. 
There’s always a good chance that someone comes out of nowhere. No one outside of political circles saw Obama coming, and god knows no one saw Trump coming. 
If Biden sits it out, I’m sure Bernie will toss in his hat to make sure the convo stays on progressive topics.