Gavin Newsom may sit in the governor’s mansion in Sacramento, but it’s painfully clear to Californians that his mind—and his ambition—are fixated squarely on the White House. According to a new poll from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, a striking 54% of voters in the Golden State believe their governor is more concerned with plotting a presidential run in 2028 than addressing the tsunami of problems plaguing their state. Just 26% think Newsom’s actually doing his job.
This should come as no surprise to anyone paying attention. Newsom has long been laying the groundwork for a national campaign, cozying up to moderates and conservatives alike in a transparent attempt to soften his radical leftist image. Californians, however, aren’t buying it. They see straight through the charade—the focus-group-tested podcast launches, photo ops with Republicans, and the recent about-face on hot-button issues like transgender athletes in women’s sports. All of it is part of a calculated political makeover, carefully calibrated to appeal to voters beyond California’s liberal enclaves.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, recently warned conservatives to stay vigilant against Newsom’s political ploy. After appearing as the first guest on Newsom’s supposedly bipartisan podcast, Kirk bluntly wrote, “The governor isn’t a joke. He has a shark’s instincts and is hoping that voters will have a goldfish’s memory. He knows his current record can’t win him the White House, and so he’s trying to rewrite what that record is.” Kirk is absolutely right. Newsom’s pivot isn’t about genuine policy evolution; it’s about political expediency.
Just consider Newsom’s recent collaboration with President Trump on a federal film tax credit benefiting Hollywood. The governor, who once positioned himself as the liberal antidote to Trump’s America First agenda, is suddenly eager to extend olive branches across the aisle. Why the sudden shift? It’s not because Newsom’s heart softened overnight. It’s because he knows that winning a national election means convincing moderate voters he’s not the radical he spent years proudly being.
A new poll found that the majority of California residents believe Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) presidential ambitions are distracting from his gubernatorial duties. In a survey conducted by the University of California, Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, 54% of registered state voters said Newsom is doing things that might benefit him as a presidential candidate. By comparison, only 26% said the governor is focused on managing the Golden State and tackling its problems, such as the fires that devastated Los Angeles at the start of the year, and California’s homeless crisis, which stands as the worst in the country.
Let’s talk about that record Newsom would rather you forget. On his watch, California has become a cautionary tale for America—skyrocketing crime, crumbling infrastructure, and an exploding homeless population. Under his failed leadership, the state’s once-proud cities have devolved into dystopian nightmares, awash in drug abuse, rampant lawlessness, and human misery. Newsom promised solutions; Californians got chaos.
Yet instead of confronting these urgent issues head-on, Newsom seems content to jet around the country, shaking hands and testing slogans. He claims he hasn’t decided to run yet, saying in a recent interview, “I might. I don’t know, but I have to have a burning why, and I have to have a compelling vision.” Spare us the false modesty. Everyone knows Newsom’s “burning why” is an insatiable desire for power, and his “compelling vision” is merely personal ambition wrapped in slick PR campaigns.
Californians deserve better than a governor whose eye is always on the next rung of the political ladder. America deserves better, too. The last thing our nation needs is another smooth-talking liberal politician whose track record of failure is hidden behind polished rhetoric and staged bipartisanship. Newsom may fancy himself a future president, but voters in his own state clearly see he’s already checked out of his current job.
Conservatives—and all Americans concerned about the future of our country—must remain alert to the threat posed by politicians like Newsom. They understand that to win national office, they must mask their true agendas and rewrite their histories. We cannot let them get away with it. America deserves authentic leaders who put the nation’s interests above their own ambitions. Newsom has proven he’s incapable of that kind of principled leadership. Californians know it. Now it’s our job to make sure the rest of America does, too.
