Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is campaigning. The only question is for whom.
Newsom is trekking through red states on and around the Fourth of July, stumping for President Joe Biden, but many observers note that his activities look eerily similar to a shadow campaign of his own.
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“He’s putting in time and effort that no one else outside the White House appears to be,” Rob Stutzman, a Republican consultant in California, told the Los Angeles Times this week. “He’s acting like the candidate-in-waiting. Someday it may pay off for him.”
Newsom is in Montana today for a vacation with his family and private meetings with Democrats. He was in Idaho earlier this week and will be in Utah later. All three are solidly Republican states, with Idaho having voted for the GOP presidential candidate in every year since 1964.
The California governor denies that he’s interested in the White House, instead saying he’s simply stumping for Biden. But the fierce campaigning for LGBT rights and against “MAGA” Republicans in states outside his own jurisdiction have politicos wondering if Newsom wants to take the mantle if for some reason Biden is unable to run.
He’s been hitting familiar themes regarding transgender issues and abortion access in speeches, saying Biden is the best choice to counter Republicans. Newsom says he would not challenge Biden in a Democratic primary but stops short of saying whether he’d run if the president dropped out.
Biden has 2024 problems of his own, polling at relatively weak levels against long-shot challengers Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson. Those numbers — Kennedy drew 20% support in a recent CNN poll — have some wondering if a more serious competitor could be lured off the sidelines.
Newsom told Democratic voters in Idaho they must work to provide a “powerful case for why we should be passionate, enthusiastic about Biden’s reelection.”
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Still, at 55, Newsom is more than two decades younger than the White House incumbent and may be looking to bolster his status either in 2024 or in 2028.
A recent YouGov-Yahoo News survey showed Newsom narrowly defeating former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical matchup, 40% to 39%. The poll also showed Newsom defeating Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) 39% to 36% if the two went head-to-head in the 2024 election.
