California Gov. Gavin Newsom tries to rebrand himself ahead of a potential presidential run

NEW YORK – Gavin Newsom hosts President Donald Trump's allies connected his podcast. He's pushing metropolis officials to ace down connected homeless encampments. And this week, helium projected limiting wellness attraction coverage for immigrants successful the state illegally.

Make nary mistake: California's Democratic politician is appealing to the governmental halfway and trying to shed his nationalist estimation arsenic a San Francisco wide arsenic helium contemplates his adjacent vocation move.

With the earliest signifier of the 2028 presidential predetermination season already underway, the term-limited Newsom has go progressively consenting to interruption from immoderate of the policies that person defined his marque and his profoundly Democratic state. His moves could pull Democratic voters fearful that their adjacent nominee mightiness look excessively liberal, but besides endanger to alienate cardinal parts of the party's divers coalition.

On Wednesday, Newsom was asked if helium was moving to the halfway successful anticipation of a statesmanlike run.

“I’ve been, always, a hardheaded pragmatist,” the 57-year-old told reporters, pointing to his clip arsenic San Francisco mayor, erstwhile helium expanded the city’s constabulary section and backed an ordinance cracking down connected panhandling.

He explained that his evolving argumentation level was driven by a request to beryllium fiscally responsible.

Already, immoderate Democrats who volition beryllium influential successful the adjacent superior are skeptical.

“He’s trying to mean some. Good for him for trying,” said Boyd Brown, a seasoned Democratic operative successful South Carolina. “But I deliberation the die’s been formed connected Gavin Newsom’s governmental positions.”

Norman Solomon, nationalist manager for the progressive radical RootsAction, accused Newsom of being “willing to propulsion basal decency nether the 2028 run bus.”

“Newsom is good connected his mode to self-satire arsenic a erstwhile wide who’s truthful obsessed with becoming president that helium develops a reflex of punching down — astatine immigrants, the homeless, farmworkers, radical surviving paycheck to paycheck,” Solomon said.

A engaged week connected policy

Pointing to the state's $12 cardinal deficit, Newsom has travel retired with a program to halt immigrants surviving successful the state illegally from joining California's taxpayer-funded wellness attraction programme for the poor. Those already receiving benefits and children who suffice would not beryllium affected.

Last year, California was 1 of the archetypal states to widen escaped wellness attraction benefits to each mediocre adults careless of their migration status. It was an ambitious program promoted by Newsom to assistance the nation’s astir populous authorities inch person to cosmopolitan wellness care. He reiterated enactment for the programme arsenic precocious arsenic March.

But the outgo yet ran $2.7 cardinal much than Newsom anticipated.

Despite the projected change, the politician made wide helium inactive broadly supports providing wellness attraction to immigrants lacking imperishable ineligible status.

“No authorities has done much than the authorities of California, nary authorities volition proceed to bash much than the authorities of California by a agelong shot. And that’s a constituent of pride,” helium said.

This week, Newsom offered California cities a blueprint to wide stateless encampments. It was an escalation successful his effort to unit section officials to code the makeshift tents that enactment underpasses, parks and streets crossed the state.

“No much excuses,” helium said. “It is clip to instrumentality backmost the streets.”

Newsom earlier this twelvemonth stunned immoderate members of his ain enactment by agreeing with podcast guests connected issues specified arsenic restricting transgender women and girls successful sports. He said dismantling constabulary departments was “lunacy” and kept soundless erstwhile longtime Trump state Steve Bannon falsely said Trump won the 2020 statesmanlike predetermination against Democrat Joe Biden.

About 7 successful 10 Democrats reason allowing transgender athletes to enactment successful women’s sports, according to a January New York Times/Ipsos poll, and Democratic leaders of cities person agelong faced concerns astir homelessness and amerciable immigration, issues that Trump highlighted often during his 2024 campaign.

Democrats talk out

Brown, the South Carolina operative, noted that the party’s past statesmanlike nominee, Kamala Harris, was defeated successful portion due to the fact that Trump’s run spent millions highlighting the policies she embraced arsenic a California legislator and successful a erstwhile tally earlier she replaced Biden atop the 2024 ticket.

“We already tried the California thing,” Brown said.

In New Hampshire, erstwhile Democratic House Speaker Steve Shurtleff agreed that it whitethorn beryllium excessively precocious for Newsom to alteration his brand.

“It’s astir oversteering. He’s trying excessively hard to travel toward the middle," Shurtleff said. “Before you tin beryllium existent to the electorate, you’ve got to beryllium existent to yourself.”

Matt Bennett of the centrist Democratic radical Third Way praised Newsom.

Bennett noted that Democratic superior voters whitethorn thin left, but they person a agelong way grounds of picking mean statesmanlike nominees based connected the conception that that campaigner is much electable successful a wide election.

“We volition day a liberal, but we wed the mean each time,” Bennett said, arguing that each Democratic nominee going backmost to Bill Clinton successful 1992 was viewed arsenic a moderate. “I deliberation what Gavin Newsom is doing is moving into the center, and we deliberation that’s smart.”

Third Way is chaired by Rachel Pritzker, a comparative of different 2028 contender, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

Inside Newsom's thinking

Newsom's allies admit that helium faces important challenges should helium tally successful 2028.

He has conscionable a twelvemonth and a fractional to marque advancement connected California's astir pressing issues — homelessness, crime, clime alteration and immigration, among them. Facing a large fund deficit, helium whitethorn person constricted options.

Some supporters judge that gathering retired his nationalist marque is critical, truthful they person launched a sustained effort to bash conscionable that.

As precocious arsenic this past weekend, Newsom's governmental enactment committee ran ads connected Fox News attacking Trump's commercialized policies. Newsom enactment up billboards crossed 7 states past autumn condemning the GOP's anti-abortion policies. Over the spring, helium established a website to combat misinformation from Trump and his allies.

Newsom besides has his podcast, which has precocious featured large figures from Trump's “Make America Great Again” movement, including Bannon and Charlie Kirk.

Matt Wilhelm, who chairs the New Hampshire House Democratic caucus, took the mediate crushed connected Newsom, saying helium appreciated the politician “communicating aboriginal and often crossed a assortment of platforms.”

“I anticipation Gov. Newsom makes his mode backmost to New Hampshire successful the coming months — not conscionable to speak, but besides to listen,” helium said. "Granite Staters inactive person a batch to larn astir Gov. Newsom and vice versa."

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.