The fact that California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is rising as a likely presidential contender in 2028 is an indictment of the entire Democratic Party.
Newsom is the ultimate example of a left-wing politician who holds the “politically correct” views on social issues, and goads right-wing opposition, yet has no record of success in government — and, in fact, has an embarrassing record of failure across decades in political life.
Newsom rose to prominence as the mayor of San Francisco, when he set the city on its current path of decline. It was Newsom who elevated radical George Gascón to lead the San Francisco police department; later, Newsom joined left-wing billionaire George Soros in foisting Gascón on the people of Los Angeles. It took four years and repeated recall efforts, but Los Angeles voters got rid of Gascón at the first opportunity.
Newsom bided his time for eight years as Lieutenant Governor under Jerry Brown — eight years in which Newsom did absolutely nothing except perfect his hair and teeth, and hint that he opposed Brown’s high-speed rail project from L.A. to San Francisco.
Once Newsom finally had the boss’s job, he canceled the train — but insisted on retaining the rural portion, making the failing project an even more absurd waste of money.
During his tenure, California suffered crushing droughts and devastating wildfires. Newsom did nothing about either.
In theory, he supported building reservoirs and desalination plants to expand water supply; in practice, nothing was done, and the reservoir above Pacific Palisades was empty when the fire broke out in January. (A shocked, shocked! Newsom demanded an explanation of the local water department’s failure.)
Newsom promised to clear the brush that fuels wildfires on state land. He not only failed to do so; he also lied about it. After the Palisades Fire broke out on state land, Newsom tried to deflect blame, attacking the federal government for failing to “rake the forest” on its land. (Of course, when the federal government cleared the fire debris, Newsom tried to take credit.) Newsom also finds a way to leave the state during natural disasters.
The governor’s most infamous failure came during the pandemic, when he instituted the country’s most draconian lockdowns, even banning religious worship in private homes (for which he was later rebuked by the U.S. Supreme Court).
While ordering restaurants to close, Newsom slipped away to dinner with lobbyists at the French Laundry, an appalling example of hypocrisy that led to a recall election effort the following year.
Newsom touts the state’s economic performance: California is the fourth-largest economy in the world (only 11th, however, after the cost of living is included). Yet the state currently has the highest unemployment in the U.S.
Like Jerry Brown before him, Newsom has coasted on the state’s past successes, and has only shown contempt for businesses that have complained about taxes and regulations before finally leaving the state.
There is only one thing Newsom does well, and that is to push boundaries on social issues. As mayor of San Francisco, he was the first public official in the U.S. to allow same-sex marriage.
That change stuck, but lately Newsom has tripped by pushing a transgender agenda (from which he has tried to retreat). He has turned California into a “sanctuary” for illegal aliens, abortions, and the homeless. He attacks guns, but not crime.
All of Newsom’s energy lately has gone into fighting Republicans. During his first term, Newsom was almost obsequious toward Trump, needing his help in the pandemic. Termed out of office, he has become the most partisan governor in America, attacking successful Republican states like Florida and trashing Trump bitterly (while asking him for money). He has led his party into a gerrymandering fight that it is destined to lose.
Newsom is gambling that the typical Democratic primary voter cares more about attacking the opposition than success in government. In a divided nation, that may not be a bad bet.
But while Republicans chose a fighter like Trump over a boring overachiever like Scott Walker in 2016, they would not have done it again in 2024 had he failed in office.
Newsom’s rise is an indictment of his party — and the media that sustain it.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Zionist Conspiracy Wants You, now available on Amazon. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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