California’s Newsom making a play for the middle, calls fellow Dems 'toxic'

When California Governor Gavin Newsom launched his “This Is Gavin Newsom” podcast last month, he cited a need to “change the conversation.” He says he is committed to having conversations with people who he disagrees with about things like egg prices, tariffs, and DOGE.

Political analysts and commentators have prognosticated that his attempt to shift center could augur a presidential run in 2028. Floated as a potential to replace former President Joe Biden last summer, Newsom insists he’s not making a play for the highest office in the land. 

In what might seem surprising to right-leaning observers, he delivered on the promise to have conversations with the other side of the aisle. On March 6, he hosted Turning Point USA’s founder, Charlie Kirk. On March 10, his guest was conservative commentator Michael Savage and on March 12, he spoke with former White House strategist and “War Room” host, Steve Bannon. 

He also hosted former vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and discussed why the Democratic Party is losing male votes and why they believe the party’s platform and message are not resonating with Americans. 

The face of progressive policies

Newsom is seen as the face of Golden State progressive polices for controversial laws whose news reached all corners of the country. Assembly Bill 1955 was signed into law last year to ban forced disclosure of students' gender struggles. Framed by its opponents, the first-in-the-nation law prohibits teachers from telling parents if a student is struggling with their gender orientation or identity. This policy is currently being challenged in federal court. 

This week also marks the one-year anniversary of the passage of another progressive policy: California’s $20 minimum wage requirement for fast food restaurant employees. Assembly Bill 1228 passed in California and added new sections to the Labor Code, including the $20 minimum wage mandate and also a section establishing a Fast Food Council, which is empowered to make future increases and adopt other employment standards for fast food restaurants. It went into effect last April Fool’s Day, April 1. 

The economic repercussions of this law could exacerbate Newsom’s progressive reputation. Speaking to the “Furthermore with Amanda Head” podcast, Director of Research at Employment Policies Institute Rebekah Paxton delved into the damage and said, “this is the crappiest law that has been signed in California so far because the $20 minimum wage stinks for workers, it stinks for business owners and it stinks for consumers.”  

Perhaps the harshest result was that the law destroyed 16,000 jobs in one year, according to Paxton. “We know that businesses and restaurants, specifically in California, are strapped. Profit margins are low, and so increasing the minimum wage by 25%…operators had no choice. They had to slash jobs. They had to raise prices just to keep their doors open, to keep some people employed.”

With this latest blast of liberal-on-conservative conversations, Newsom is also putting himself in the guest seat. He appeared on HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher” where he referred to the Democratic Party as “toxic” and said, “these guys [Republicans] are crushing us.” Newsom and Maher agreed on the fact that Democrats have avoided conversations with the other side, with Maher adding, “you have to. They won.” Newsom, in his movement to the middle, also criticized Democrats for being "more judgmental" and not owning up to "cancel culture." 

Steamy liberal-on-liberal action

Fellow Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., redirected the anger towards Trump on X, posting, “With respect, @GavinNewsom the Democratic party is not "toxic." This is not the time to join the chorus in bashing our party. The rage should be about what Trump is doing TODAY. Let's share what our party has done & offer a forward vision for the future.”

Despite his presumed eyes on the Oval Office, California is still experiencing historical population loss under Newsom. According to The Desert Sun, in 2024, almost 240,000 people left California, making it the state with the largest migration loss in the country. The data compiled by truck rental company U-Haul reveals that California ranks last on U-Haul's 2024 growth index list.