We are only 8 months into Trump’s second term, but it already seems like California Governor Gavin Newsom is making all the moves to position himself as the frontrunner in the Democratic Primaries. Arguably, Newsom started making these moves as early as 2023, when he participated in an unprecedented debate with Republican Florida governor and then Presidential Candidate Ron DeSantis. However, the California governor’s star really started to shine bright in June of this year, during the Los Angeles ICE Protests. After Trump deployed the national guard and marines to deter these protests from becoming riots, Newsom seized the opportunity to find himself in the national spotlight, describing the Presidents’ move as inflammatory and authoritarian. Then, when Trump threatened to arrest the governor, Newsom replied with a memorable one line: “Come and get me”.
Since then, Newsom has stolen the national spotlight again by joining the national redistricting fight. For context, Republicans in Texas have moved to redraw its congression map in order to gain around 5 seats for the GOP in the House of Representatives, at the request of Trump (this is explained in further detail in a previous article). Newsom has been leading the Democratic charge against this, as he has moved to put a state referendum on the ballot in November that would allow California to do a partisan redistricting that would net Democrats 5 seats in response. Unlike other Democrats moves, which are mostly bravado without substance (most notably Democrat Senator Cory Booker speaking for 25 hours), Newsom being able to redistrict in California would bring an actual, tangible boost to the Democrats that will almost certainly make him the frontrunner for the 2028 primaries. On the flip-side, it would be quite embarrassing for him if the resolution was to fail. In the backdrop of this, Newsom’s social media team also isn’t missing any opportunities to troll Trump, as they have made countless tweets mocking Trump’s style of social media posts.
Another notable move Newsom is making is starting a podcast. This year, he started “This is Gavin Newsom”, where he has interviewed notable Republicans like Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon, along with high profile Democrats like Tim Walz and Beto O’Rourke. Most notably, on the episode with Charlie Kirk, Newsom reversed his opinion on transgender sports, which many interpreted as him moderating his position towards the center in order to make a future Presidential run more palatable to independents. The podcast also seems to have a dedicated following, as it has racked up over 130,000 subscribers on youtube. This trounces the podcast and media platforms of fellow Democrats who are speculated to run. Furthermore early polls of the 2028 Dem primaries consistently show Newsom as the second or third most popular candidate in a crowded field, stabilizing around 13 percent with lots of room to grow.
Looking ahead, many have said that Gavin Newsom is the governor of California, especially because of the (sometimes true) stereotype that Californians are coastal elites. And there are many things to criticize about Newsom, from his flip-flopping on multiple issues, to his failed attempts to curb homelessness, to his stalled bullet-train project that has cost more than fifteen billion dollars so far. However, there is no denying that whatever Trump and other Republicans do, no matter if it is directly provoking Democrats or doing something completely different, Newsom will always find a way to make himself the center of the opposition. And if Newsom can continue to leverage his position as Governor of California to do this, he has a real good shot of winning the Democratic nomination.