California Governor Exudes Confidence for Democrats Ahead of Next Year’s Elections
Newsom projects strength for 2024
Many Democrats are troubled by President Biden's sagging poll numbers and frightened over the possibility that Donald Trump could well return to the White House.
Not Gavin Newsom.
California’s charismatic Democratic governor remains the same unafraid, happy warrior to that he's been demonstrating himself to be.
Newsom, who survived a Republican-led recall attempt, has been unapologetic in taking on Trump, Republican Ron DeSantis and others.
And he's equally enthusiastic about where the Democratic Party stands heading into next year's elections.
“I think we’re on message, we’re getting back on the offense, we’re on our feet. I think demonstrably that proved itself. I’m not just asserting it on the basis of what happened in the midterms. We out-performed, I think, our own quiet expectations, certainly punditry that was out there at the time,” said Newsom, often talked about as an up-and-comer for his own future potential run for president. “No, I think the party is in a much better place than it was back then. But, you know, I stand by what I said a year and a half ago. Out of stress and frustration, I expressed not only that point of view, I tried to do something about it through the iteration of doing ads in other states and making a case.”
Abortion rights will continue to be a potent issue for Democrats, as it has been since the Supreme Court last year overturned nearly a half-century of guaranteed national access to abortion, according to Newsom.
“I think the abortion decision has obviously been galvanizing in that respect. And it’s demonstrably so. I mean, you saw it with Ohio and what just happened. You’re seeing it play out in large and small venues, including the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, etc. So, look, it’s obviously played an outsized role,” he said. “But I think we’re getting our feet under us. I think we’re focused on democracy and freedom, taking back the mantra of freedom, not submitting to the other side that they own patriotism. The president’s developing his message and strategy. And we have an opportunity in the next few months.”
Democrats have much to celebrate and accomplishments to tout as Biden seeks a second four-year term, Newsom said.
“I don’t know about the second term agenda, because we’re still regaling in the extraordinary success of the last few years, of which we now get to apply the principles and advance a lot of what has been asserted, meaning make real the commitments we’ve made through these landmark legislative packages,” he said. “But beyond that, I think the fundamental messaging has improved. The organized framework, the ads that they’ve put out, the last five ads, I think have been spot-on.
“And now we have to go out and campaign. And I think you’re going to see that over the next few months,” he said.
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