Gov. Gavin Newsom gives his final State of the State address as governor at the California Capitol in Sacramento on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026
Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee/TNS
Although we are two years away from the 2028 Presidential Election, discussion is already underway about who the two candidates will be. According to a Feb. 24 poll, Newsom is in the lead nationally, beating Kamala Harris by 3%. I am not happy at all about either of these candidates, particularly Newsom.
Let me be clear—I will be voting in the 2028 election, even if Newsom ultimately ends up being the Democratic candidate, in which case I will reluctantly cast my vote for Newsom, as it can be safely presumed the opponent will be JD Vance or some other prominent MAGA figure, and I cannot imagine myself voting third-party.
However, until we will know for sure who the candidates are, I think, and hope feverishly, that Democrats can find a better candidate than the California governor in the meantime.
Newsom confirmed his interest in running for president in 2028 on Oct. 26, but I do not think Newsom is the strongest candidate, especially considering what Sam Seder refers to as Newsom’s “relatability hit[ting] a wall” with a large number of Democrats as of recent.
Newsom recently threw trans people (and the LGBTQ+ community more broadly) under the bus, stating in a CNN interview with Dana Bash that Democrats needs to be “more culturally normal” and “less prone to spending disproportionate amount of time on pronouns, identity politics,” but rather “more focused on tabletop issues, things that really matter.”
This was said after a question regarding Newsom’s opposition to transgender athletes in women’s sports–in terms of the news that I have been following, particularly from left-leaning sources, the main issue discussed in these spaces is anything but those pertaining to trans athletes–Trump and his administration, Gaza, and ICE rank highest among the most critical issues being raised in left-leaning media as of recent.
It seems odd at best that Newsom seems so eager to depart from an issue that is so important to the party he is largely, in theory, trying to appeal to.
Newsom also agreed with Ben Shapiro’s notion that “Israel is not committing a genocide in Gaza” while Shapiro appeared as a guest on Newsom’s podcast–although Newsom justified the popularity of the belief on the basis of the grotesque photos of deceased individuals and mass destruction we’ve been seeing on social media.
Whether or not what is happening in Gaza meets the technical definition of “genocide,” to see Newsom agree with a claim such as Shapiro’s, a man who frequently neglects to acknowledge the humanity of the Palestinian people when discussing the issue (Shapiro even referred to the conflict, saying that “ugly s**t doesn’t mean genocide,” on Newsom’s podcast), Newsom agreeing with a claim like this, combined with disagreeing with calls to abolish ICE on the very same podcast, was enough to lose my trust.
Newsom positions himself as a strong ally to marginalized communities and their issues, but panders way too deeply in areas that deem him more favorable by center or right-leaning individuals.
With the current right-wing’s complete disregard for the rights and dignity of undocumented migrants, the individuals massacred in Palestine, and the hysteria surrounding drag queens and trans individuals, I don’t think appeasement is the way to go.
I am indifferent as to whether or not Newsom is only talking this way to appeal to more voters (playing chess instead of checkers, per se)–moderate Democrats who fall short in terms of supporting the LGBTQ+ community eat Newsom’s kind of rhetoric up. While it may accrue him more votes, this kind of talk is detrimental to progress long-term.
Although I can deeply appreciate Newsom’s work, especially with things like Proposition 50, the law where Newsom combatted Texas’ gerrymandering that disproportionately benefits Republicans in the state by redistricting California to favor Democrats, I think we need someone who is willing to fight in this way, who also isn’t willing to bend where they feel it is fashionable or when their views are challenged.
**Correction: “, Newsom agreeing with a claim like this, combined with disagreeing with calls to abolish ICE on the very same podcast,” added to paragraph nine; “certainly” removed before “enough to lose my trust” in paragraph 9; “poses” changed to “positions” in paragraph 10**