California Gov. Gavin Newsom is widely viewed as a strong contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, particularly by Gavin Newsom himself. But his record is a real problem - just not in the way pundits think it is.
Take, for example, his determination to thwart the 2026 California Billionaire Tax Act, which would impose a one-time 5 percent levy on residents of the state worth $1 billion or more. This is hardly Bolshevism as keen mathematicians will note that 5 percent still leaves 95 percent, meaning those affected would wake up the next morning in the same economic bracket that calls to mind a camel and the eye of a needle.
There was also his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, late last month - always a popular destination for those angling for high office - amid President Donald Trump’s lunge toward Greenland. Just as European leaders were discovering that having tolerated U.S. imperialism in Venezuela it was now threatening their own backyard, Newsom kindly offered some unsolicited advice, scolding them that “Trump is a T. rex — you mate with him or he devours you, one way or the other, and you need to stand up to it.” Trump, for his part, merely shrugged in response: “I used to get along so great with Gavin.”
Last week and with much publicity, Newsom launched a review of TikTok’s moderation practices, accusing the platform of suppressing Trump-critical content after a deal was finalized to transfer Chinese ownership of the app to a consortium of pro-Israel, Trump-loving billionaires. It is unsurprising that social media is an issue of concern for Newsom as he is apparently the last person on Earth under the impression that the Trump administration can be tweeted into submission.
In his efforts to bridge the political divide through chummy dialogue with far-right celebrities like Ben Shapiro and Charlie Kirk, what this looks like in practice is Shapiro goading Newsom into denying Israel's genocidal conduct in Gaza, while Kirk earned Newsom’s fulsome agreement about the nefarious menace of trans women playing sports.
Yet, there are those in the political media unbothered by all this - if anything, they would like to see more of it. Instead, their concern comes from a different direction, if not an alternate universe altogether. Writing in The Atlantic late last month, Marc Novicoff and Jonathan Chait argued “Gavin Newsom’s Record Is a Problem.”
Chait and Novicoff posit that Newsom's tenure as governor has seen California "fall hard for faddish progressive policies on immigration, education, and crime that either didn't work, violated the intuitions of most Americans, or both." As proof, they offer the state providing Medicaid to undocumented immigrants and gender-affirming health care for prisoners - both presented as catastrophic missteps that will come back to haunt him in 2028.
Such is the modern centrist credo: to overcome a perception rooted in fantasy, it may be necessary to make the reality of people's lives worse. In fact, it would seem their preferred litmus test for a candidate is that they not only refuse to recognize the rights and basic humanity of immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and the incarcerated but also must never offer even the most superficial indication to the contrary.
This is all par for the course from Chait, who maintains Kamala Harris's 2024 defeat had little to do with her support for Israel during a genocide, her proud past as California’s "top cop," or her unwillingness to distance herself from Joe Biden's legacy. Instead, Chait blames those few instances during her Hindenburg-like 2019 stab at the Democratic nomination where she briefly and unconvincingly pivoted left before returning to the comfort of political moderation.
In reality, however, the arch-centrist Chait got everything he could hope for in Harris - who promptly blew it. Now, with Newsom as the alleged front-runner for 2028, the fact that Chait is already preemptively recycling the same excuses for failure does not inspire confidence.
“Just about everything people don’t like about the Democratic Party has come true in Newsom’s California,” Chait and Novicoff write - inadvertently stumbling onto a point. Many Americans despise the Democrats for their craven coddling of billionaires and corporate interests, their fealty to zombied Third Way snake oil, and their twitchy, terrified suspicion of any mass movement too radical for their own beige, milquetoast taste.
And so it is with Gavin Newsom: a man who treats billionaires as a treasured natural resource, who mobilized thousands of National Guard troops to quash Black Lives Matter protests, and who made a photo op of breaking down a homeless encampment with his own hands. If Newsom fails to become the candidate that will overcome this reality by committing to the abolition of ICE, it will not be because he appeared too left-wing but because he lacked the guts or inclination to be anything except what he manifestly is: a preening political operator, beholden to a status quo that no longer exists.
In short, Newsom's record is more of the same - craven, self-serving, and willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of his own career.
Take, for example, his determination to thwart the 2026 California Billionaire Tax Act, which would impose a one-time 5 percent levy on residents of the state worth $1 billion or more. This is hardly Bolshevism as keen mathematicians will note that 5 percent still leaves 95 percent, meaning those affected would wake up the next morning in the same economic bracket that calls to mind a camel and the eye of a needle.
There was also his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, late last month - always a popular destination for those angling for high office - amid President Donald Trump’s lunge toward Greenland. Just as European leaders were discovering that having tolerated U.S. imperialism in Venezuela it was now threatening their own backyard, Newsom kindly offered some unsolicited advice, scolding them that “Trump is a T. rex — you mate with him or he devours you, one way or the other, and you need to stand up to it.” Trump, for his part, merely shrugged in response: “I used to get along so great with Gavin.”
Last week and with much publicity, Newsom launched a review of TikTok’s moderation practices, accusing the platform of suppressing Trump-critical content after a deal was finalized to transfer Chinese ownership of the app to a consortium of pro-Israel, Trump-loving billionaires. It is unsurprising that social media is an issue of concern for Newsom as he is apparently the last person on Earth under the impression that the Trump administration can be tweeted into submission.
In his efforts to bridge the political divide through chummy dialogue with far-right celebrities like Ben Shapiro and Charlie Kirk, what this looks like in practice is Shapiro goading Newsom into denying Israel's genocidal conduct in Gaza, while Kirk earned Newsom’s fulsome agreement about the nefarious menace of trans women playing sports.
Yet, there are those in the political media unbothered by all this - if anything, they would like to see more of it. Instead, their concern comes from a different direction, if not an alternate universe altogether. Writing in The Atlantic late last month, Marc Novicoff and Jonathan Chait argued “Gavin Newsom’s Record Is a Problem.”
Chait and Novicoff posit that Newsom's tenure as governor has seen California "fall hard for faddish progressive policies on immigration, education, and crime that either didn't work, violated the intuitions of most Americans, or both." As proof, they offer the state providing Medicaid to undocumented immigrants and gender-affirming health care for prisoners - both presented as catastrophic missteps that will come back to haunt him in 2028.
Such is the modern centrist credo: to overcome a perception rooted in fantasy, it may be necessary to make the reality of people's lives worse. In fact, it would seem their preferred litmus test for a candidate is that they not only refuse to recognize the rights and basic humanity of immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and the incarcerated but also must never offer even the most superficial indication to the contrary.
This is all par for the course from Chait, who maintains Kamala Harris's 2024 defeat had little to do with her support for Israel during a genocide, her proud past as California’s "top cop," or her unwillingness to distance herself from Joe Biden's legacy. Instead, Chait blames those few instances during her Hindenburg-like 2019 stab at the Democratic nomination where she briefly and unconvincingly pivoted left before returning to the comfort of political moderation.
In reality, however, the arch-centrist Chait got everything he could hope for in Harris - who promptly blew it. Now, with Newsom as the alleged front-runner for 2028, the fact that Chait is already preemptively recycling the same excuses for failure does not inspire confidence.
“Just about everything people don’t like about the Democratic Party has come true in Newsom’s California,” Chait and Novicoff write - inadvertently stumbling onto a point. Many Americans despise the Democrats for their craven coddling of billionaires and corporate interests, their fealty to zombied Third Way snake oil, and their twitchy, terrified suspicion of any mass movement too radical for their own beige, milquetoast taste.
And so it is with Gavin Newsom: a man who treats billionaires as a treasured natural resource, who mobilized thousands of National Guard troops to quash Black Lives Matter protests, and who made a photo op of breaking down a homeless encampment with his own hands. If Newsom fails to become the candidate that will overcome this reality by committing to the abolition of ICE, it will not be because he appeared too left-wing but because he lacked the guts or inclination to be anything except what he manifestly is: a preening political operator, beholden to a status quo that no longer exists.
In short, Newsom's record is more of the same - craven, self-serving, and willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of his own career.
gotta say, I'm a bit concerned about Gavin Newsom's chances in 2028. His stance on issues like immigration, education, and crime just doesn't feel right to me. He's all about "chummy dialogue" with far-right celebs, but that just feels like a PR stunt to me 
. And those policies he implemented as governor? Not exactly groundbreaking, if you ask me 
. California's been struggling with homelessness and poverty for years, and instead of addressing the root causes, Newsom was more concerned with making headlines and pleasing his donors 
.
. It just shows how far to the right he's willing to shift on certain issues. And what about all those billionaires he's been courting? Does that really make him a champion for the little guy? 
. He needs to be more willing to challenge the status quo and take real risks to connect with the American people. Otherwise, he'll just be another self-serving politician who doesn't have what it takes to lead 
.
. He's tryin' to distance himself from policies that were unpopular, but honestly, it feels like he's just doin' it for optics 
. Newsom's all about bridgin' the gap with far-right celebs, but what's really goin' on is they're just manipulatin' him 
.
. They're spot on when it says his policies have fallen flat or been straight-up unpopular 
. It's like, if you're tryin' to appeal to the center, sometimes that means losin' your roots in the first place 
.
. He's more of a sellout, plain and simple 
. Time for Newsom to step up his game or get outta the race 
And then there's this weird thing where he goes to Davos and just tells European leaders that Trump is a T. rex 
... I mean, can't we all just get along? 
Does he really think they're going to help him win over the left? 
people are still mad at Gavin Newsom in 2025? 
. And now Chait is already trying to spin his record again 
. It's like they want Newsom to fail so they have a new villain 
. People love to point out all these progressive policies he's implemented like Medicaid for undocumented immigrants & gender-affirming healthcare for prisoners... but what if those actually helped people? 
I mean, let's be real, the US has been playing catch-up on these issues for ages, so it's not like Newsom's pioneering or anything 
. Can't we just have a leader who's willing to take some risks & challenge the status quo? 
. Plus, his attempts to address social media issues and promote dialogue with opposing views might be seen as brave by some 
. Maybe instead of criticizing him for being too "left-wing", we should focus on what he's doing right and see if there's a way to build on that 
.