California Politics in 2025: A “Bully” Pulpit Indeed |
How best to summarize a curious year in California politics?
Let’s do so four ways.
The Alpha Governor. Dating back to Ronald Reagan, four of California’s last seven governors have either sought the presidency or flirted with the idea while in office.
That includes Reagan running a shadow campaign in 1968, Jerry Brown twice giving it a go in 1976 and 1980, plus Pete Wilson mounting a brief bid in 1995. (As for the other three: George Deukmejian, who served two terms between Brown and Wilson, never ran; Gray Davis, who succeeded Wilson, was recalled from office in 2003—otherwise, he might have tried in 2004; Arnold Schwarzenegger’s presidential aspirations were terminated by that pesky Constitution and the matter of natural-born citizens.)
In this regard, Newsom’s presidential fan dance in 2025—he’s never said he’ll run in 2028, but admits he’s entertaining the idea—is no different. But there’s one big exception: Whereas governors ordinarily base a national campaign on their state records, Newsom’s path to the Democratic nomination seems based on a simple concept: fight fire with fire—i.e., be equally as juvenile and bombastic on social media, if not more so, than the current Oval Office occupant.
Is Newsom’s strategy working? Yes. Look no further than way-too-early 2028 polls, plus fawning coverage courtesy of national media outlets and prominent progressive influencers.
But as is true in many walks of life, Newsom’s success has come at a cost. For California, it’s meant a combination of lack of civility—you might recall the non-stop insults sent Trump’s way during the campaign to secure voter-approval of the congressional gerrymandering Proposition 50—and the governor’s constant references to “knee pads” (suggesting either submission to Trump or something more pornographic).
Add to that: gubernatorial neglect. Whereas California governors traditionally start the year with a “state of the state” address, Newsom literally mailed it in 2025—instead of appearing before the Legislature earlier in the........