During this election period, California Governor Gavin Newsom traveled across the country to campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, making stops in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Hampshire, Georgia, South Carolina, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and Nevada. .
He ran his own campaign to raise money for Democrats in red states, became a fighter for the party on conservative TV shows and served as a surrogate for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
After crisscrossing America, the Democratic governor is spending the final days of the 2024 election in a place he hasn’t campaigned much this year: his home state.
“You can do anything. You can’t do everything,” Newsom said in an interview about his efforts to balance campaign responsibilities across the country and in California. “So if there’s an eighth day, we’ll use it.”
Newsom’s appearance in Orange County this weekend highlighted the irony of his strategy. While the governor wooed donors in Boise, Idaho, and championed Biden in Atlanta, California Democrats have fought hard battles in key legislative races without most of the state’s most powerful politicians. their side.
California has several hotly contested House elections that will determine which party controls Congress next year. The closest races are in areas of the state where polls show Newsom is the least popular with voters. The governor’s decision to spend more time campaigning outside of California than in his most competitive districts may actually help allies in the Golden State, and the governor’s own political career.
“There’s no question that he’s not only working on Vice President Harris’ presidential run, but he’s also working on his own potential presidential run,” said Matt Rexrode, a Republican strategist. There is no need to do so.” “He knows all those people.”
With two years left before Newsom is forced out of the governor’s office due to term limits, Newsom is building a list of supporters outside of California by traveling the country for Biden and Harris, while also building a list of supporters outside of California. He was able to present himself as a politician and prolific fundraiser. The pilgrimage to Republican territory has branded the governor as a pugilist who can deal damage to the Republican Party and former President Trump.
Although Newsom has endorsed only a handful of Democrats running for Congress and has declined to take public positions on seven of the 10 policies that will be on the statewide ballot, the governor is California’s top Democrat. He said he is working on his job as a.
He raised nearly $2 million for eight Democratic candidates in California’s state legislative race and appeared in multiple races throughout his long campaign, his aides said.
“We’ve been doing a lot of fundraising for members of Congress for almost two years,” Newsom said.
On Sunday, Mr. Newsom joined a field that includes U.S. Senate candidates Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks, State Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and several others rally for Democrat Derek Tran at the Food and Commercial Workers Union Hall in Buena Park.
He told the audience that he was there for two main reasons. One to thank the volunteers who are campaigning and working for the Democratic Party, and the other to support Tran’s effort to oust Republican Rep. Michelle Steele (R-Seal Beach). Important parliamentary elections in the country.
“That’s how important you are, not just to this district, but in many ways to the destiny and future of this country,” Newsom told campaign workers in the room.
Although Newsom was not physically present in Orange County and Palm Springs during the campaign, he was a central figure in some campaigns.
Republican incumbents have tied Democratic challengers to Mr. Newsom in an effort to scare away moderate voters and stir up their base.
An ad by Republican Rep. Ken Calvert’s campaign in the 41st Congressional District features the governor’s face transformed into that of Calvert’s Democratic opponent, Will Rollins.
“He’s smart, he loves taxes, he’s more liberal than Gavin Newsom,” the narrator says, as images of Newsom blend with those of Rollins.
The ad claims that Rollins “like Newsom” will spread the coronavirus to the Coachella Valley and drive up gas prices, property taxes and income taxes for residents in the Riverside County area, which includes Palm Springs.
“You can’t stop Newsom, but you can stop extremist Will Rollins,” the ad reads.
Mr. Newsom dismissed the ad as “politics,” but Rexroad said the governor’s approval ratings in California’s battleground states make him an easy foil for Republicans.
A statewide poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) in October found that a majority of voters disapproved of Newsom’s performance as governor. He fared even worse in the Central Valley, Orange County, San Diego and the Inland Empire, where about 6 in 10 voters disapproved.
In these areas, Democrats are working to flip some Republican-held House seats.
“for [Republican Rep.] David Valadao wants nothing more than this [Democrat] “Rudy Salas and Gavin Newsom will be on the front page of the Bakersfield Californian and in every other news story for the remainder of the campaign,” Rexrode said. “The governor is very unpopular in the Central Valley.”
Mr. Newsom did not appear over the weekend in the Kern County district where Mr. Salas is seeking to oust Mr. Valadao (R-Hanford).
The governor pushed back on the idea that Democrats were concerned about attending with him.
“People are asking for all the continued support they can get through this campaign,” he said.
In Orange County, Republicans took control of Newsom’s appearance days before he appeared with Tran.
In a news release, Mr. Tran’s opponent, Mr. Steele, praised Mr. Newsom’s role in bringing him “closer to” his campaign.
“By bringing Newsom to town, voters will know where Derek Tran’s loyalties lie: to those in Sacramento who are trying to bring tax increases and zero-bail policies to Washington. We will tell you everything we need to know,” Steele said in a statement.
Despite the numbers, former Sen. Barbara Boxer said Democrats are using the governor because they believe he can help. Newsom is good at “getting cross-cutting messages,” she said.
“They’re in the late stages and they know who they want,” Boxer said of the campaign. “But I really think he’s an asset everywhere because I think he’s a good campaigner. He’s a very smart campaigner. He knows the issues that move people. I’m not going to judge anyone. No one is off the charts.”
The last few days of an election are primarily about increasing turnout, and when many voters have already decided on a candidate and submitted their ballots, they may change their mind or flip their vote. That’s not that important.
PPIC pollster Mark Baldassare said it makes sense for Congressional campaigns to use Newsom to get Democrats to the polls in the final stages of the election.
“I don’t see much downside risk,” Baldassare said. “I think the benefit of having California’s most famous Democrat, other than Kamala Harris, is that it could be more of an incentive for Democrats than it is for Republicans to go the other way. is watching.”
Mr. Newsom’s late arrival in the House district gives him the opportunity to later say he played a role, however minor, if Democrats win the House. It would also limit the potential damage and time the Republican camp has to use his visit to its advantage.
Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego, said that despite criticism of Newsom’s campaign priorities and underlying motivations, politicians often campaign in ways that boost others or themselves. says it’s wise.
“Politicians do things in their own interests,” Kousser said. “But successful politicians do things that help themselves and their allies, and the smartest politicians do those things visibly.”
