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SACRAMENTO — When he was running for governor in 2017, Gavin Newsom tapped into the smoldering anger of California liberals, at one point boasting on the campaign trail: Hey, give it a try, Donald. ”
That swagger helped Newsom advance toward the 2018 election and cemented his reputation as a national leader of the anti-Trump resistance movement.
It’s less clear whether California’s next governor will succeed Mr. Newsom.
How should the crowded field of Democratic candidates running to succeed Newsom in 2026 and other lawmakers considering their campaigns best position themselves against President-elect Trump? , and is still weighing whether that’s the attitude California voters want.
Some candidates echoed Newsom in harsh terms. The week Trump was reelected, Atty. General Rob Bonta, who is considering a run for governor, stood in front of the Golden Gate Bridge and vowed to use “the full force of the law” to protect Californians from the new administration.
“If Trump attacks your rights, I’ll be there,” Bonta said. “If Trump comes after your freedom, I’ll be there. If Trump puts your safety and well-being at risk, I’ll be there.”
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who ran for governor last year, said the state would fight any efforts by the Trump administration to roll back protections for LGBTQ+ students or dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. And Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis said in a social media post that California “will never waver in defending the freedom to control your body, marry the person you love, and create opportunity for immigrants and all families.” I promised.
The slight rightward shift of California voters this year has given other candidates pause. Primary election results suggest that several counties won by President Biden in 2020 are leaning toward Trump this year, including San Bernardino County in Southern California and Butte in Northern California. It includes a large area of the San Joaquin Valley through Merced, Fresno, and Stanislaus counties. A Times analysis shows that.
Voters also voted for the District, inflicting a major loss on the criminal justice reform movement. Attis. George Gascón and Pamela Price resign and overwhelmingly approve tough-on-crime voting efforts.
“Given what just happened, is President Trump’s increased resistance really the right thing to do?” said Sara Anzia, a political scientist and professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley. “I think this will require some introspection and consideration as to why Trump has become so popular in these states.”
Former Gov. Betty Yee, who ran for governor in March, pointed to the state’s “pro-Trump shift” in a fundraising email. As statewide votes continue to be counted, the change appears to be just 5 points away. Biden won 63.5% of California voters in 2020, while Harris now has 58.6%.
“This is a pretty big downturn, and while it would be easy to say that millions of Californians voted because they were disgusted or fooled by President Trump’s deception, the fact is that more than ever before, “More young people and more Black and Latino families voted for Trump,” Yee wrote.
In another message, she wrote, “Latinos and young people of all ages, the literal future of California that politicians have relied on for decades, are the literal future of California. I left the Democratic Party after receiving the disastrous results.”
But dealing with these subtle changes in the electorate may be difficult, and correcting too far to the right may prove dangerous as well.
Although Trump did better in California in 2024 than in 2020, he remains deeply unpopular with most voters in the Golden State. Historically, parties that are not in the White House also make big gains in the next general election — Californians will elect a new governor in 2026. So it may be useful to attack Trump.
Former state Senate Majority Leader Toni Atkins, one of six candidates who have launched 2026 gubernatorial campaigns, said the focus on Trump is a necessary evil.
Everyone is jumping on the “anti-Trump bandwagon,” she said, which distracts from California’s main issues, such as the rising cost of living, which are critical to the state’s spirit.
Atkins served as state Senate majority leader during the first Trump administration and led the push for Proposition 1, which enshrined the right to abortion in the state constitution after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022.
She said Trump’s re-election would change “the whole nature of this gubernatorial race.”
“We have to worry about what that means for California, because he’s coming at us for the first time,” she said.
State Sen. Toni Atkins (right) speaks at the gubernatorial candidate forum in San Francisco in September with Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who is also running to replace Gavin Newsom.
(Josh Edelson/For the Times)
California sued the federal government more than 100 times during the first Trump administration, challenging the president’s authority on issues such as immigration, health care, education, gun control, consumer protection, the census, the U.S. Postal Service, and civil rights issues. chanted.
On the campaign trail, President Trump recently mocked Newsom as “Newscam” and called California and its Democratic leaders “far-left lunatics.” He also focused on prominent state leaders, including Sen.-elect Adam Schiff and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, calling them “enemies from within.”
But California still needs help from the White House in a number of areas, including health insurance for low-income residents who need federal medical exemptions and emergency disaster funding for natural disasters like wildfires.
More than half of registered voters have no particular preference among the candidates already in the race, according to a poll conducted in late October by the Institute for Government Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, in collaboration with the Times. I answered. Among those who do, their favorite companies have yet to announce a campaign.
U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) has not announced whether she will run, but will be the first or second choice for 13% of voters, according to polls. Two Republicans said to be considering a campaign, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and state Sen. Brian Dahl, who ran against Newsom in 2022, each have 12 registered voters. % and 11% were their first and second choices.
Kounalakis and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa each have a 7% approval rating, as does Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who has not announced whether he will run. Republican commentator Steve Hilton is also said to be considering a bid, which would be the first or second choice for 6% of voters.
Thurmond, Atkins, and Yee received support from less than 5% of registered voters.
While the political environment for the 2026 race appears fluid, there may be lessons to be learned from Californians’ choice of governor the last time President Trump was in the White House.
In 2018, Villaraigosa ran a centrist campaign, focusing on his strong record as mayor on equal access to education, fiscal restraint, law enforcement support and environmental protection. Newsom campaigned on a fundamentally liberal and expensive agenda, including proposals for a state-supported health care system, universal preschool, and increased funding for higher education.
Mr. Villaraigosa missed the primary. Mr. Newsom won his second consecutive term.
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