The Contradictions of Gavin Newsom
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Why is Gavin Newsom being touted as the 2028 Democratic front‑runner?
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But Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, might want to run for president someday. I mean, that's been widely believed for a long time. That Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, would have a chance if he ran for president. That was less widely believed. Liberal white guy from a state the country considers badly governed just didn't seem like the profile that either the Democratic Party or the country was looking for. Well, things changed. If you look at polls of the likely democratic field now, Newsom leads in many of them. If you look at the polymarket betting odds on who will be the 2020 Democratic nominee, Newsom is far ahead of anyone else. Jonathan Martin, Politico's senior political columnist, he wrote a piece entitled, Admit it.
Gavin Newsome is the twenty twenty eight front runner. Look, I know it's all very early to be talking about twenty twenty eight, and in this episode I try not to. But even putting the future aside, Newsom has become, without any doubt, one of the Democratic Party's leaders at a time when the party is desperately looking for leadership. And as a Californian, someone who has watched and covered Newsom for a long time. He surprised me. He's taking risks, he's trying new things, he's a feel for this moment, not just in politics, but in attention. And in how attention now works. In a way that very few other democrats have demonstrated. And he just doesn't seem in the way so many Democrats seem. Afraid, he doesn't seem afraid of trying things and failing, doesn't seem afraid of making his own side angry, doesn't seem afraid.
Experimenting. That's working for him. It began right after the election when Newsom launched a podcast where he began interviewing people like Charlie Kirk, Steve Bannon, Newt Gingrich, Michael Savage. I mean, that podcast pissed Democrats off. I heard from many of them. But I watched him in those episodes. I thought, He's listening. And I wonder what he's learning from them. And at the same time, Newsom turned himself into the leader of the resistance. He began trolling Trump on social media, talking about the president in the terms the president talks about everyone else. And it worked. Suddenly I was getting sent left and right, Newsom tweets of all things. And then when Texas began its mid-cycle redistricting, Newsom did something many found shocking.
He pushed a ballot initiative to pause California's independent redistricting, a huge point of pride in California, and something he had, by the way, supported, and instead created these highly partisan maps to counter Texas. And that ballot initiative, which could have failed, and it would have looked terrible if it failed, passed overwhelmingly. But Newsom's problem as a leader for the Democratic Party. Is what it has always been. Look, California, in my view, is the greatest state in the nation. The place I love more than anywhere else on earth. But at a time when the politics of affordability are paramount, California routinely ranks as the least affordable state in the nation. Newsom has signed many good bills, done many good things, but he has not fixed that.
So I'm gonna have Newsom on the show. To talk through what he's learned from the right. What he believes must be the future of the демократик партій. And how he answers California's manifold critics. As always my email Ezra Clan show at NY Times dot com.
Governor Gavin Newsom, welcome to the show. It's great to be with you. Can't believe I was on your podcast before you were on the web.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why is Gavin Newsom being touted as the 2028 Democratic front‑runner?
0:00–4:53
2
What did Newsom learn from interviewing right‑wing figures like Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon?
4:53–10:37
3
How is California’s housing‑affordability crisis shaping the Democratic agenda?
10:37–14:06
4
What are the arguments for a progressive tax/wealth‑redistribution system in California?
14:06–1:01:45
5
What are the promises and perils of AI that Newsom sees for the future?
1:01:45–1:07:25
6
Why does Newsom say Democrats failed on the border and how does he explain it?
1:07:25–1:11:51
7
What does Newsom think should bind the Democratic Party together as a big‑tent coalition?
1:11:51–1:16:39
8
What books and podcasts does Newsom recommend and how does he reflect on his contradictions?
1:16:39–1:48:19