Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is taking a more aggressive abortion-rights stance in the lead-up to the 2028 presidential race compared to other leading Democrats.
Newsom, who is widely considered a leading Democrat for the next presidential election, has in recent weeks taken a more heavy-handed approach on the controversial issue of abortion than other possible 2028 Democrat candidates, such as Govs. Andy Beshear (D-KY) and Josh Shapiro (D-PA).
Abortion has been an important issue in every election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, requiring states to limit access to the procedure.
Newsom’s forceful posture was on full display in his profane response to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s lawsuit against a California doctor who prescribed abortion pills to a Louisiana resident involved in a coerced abortion. Murrill is requesting that Dr. Remy Coeytaux be extradited to Louisiana for prescribing mifepristone online.
The California governor told Murrill via X post to “go f*** yourself” and that “California will never help you criminalize healthcare.”
Newsom also signed into law last week a $90 million infusion of funds to make up for cuts to Planned Parenthood made by federal Republicans through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Democrats for Life of America director Kristen Day, who is an anti-abortion Catholic, told the Washington Examiner that she believes Newsom’s tactics will turn off voters who are dissatisfied with the GOP but oppose the abortion-rights platform of the Democratic Party.
Day said she took offense at Newsom’s response to the abortion pill litigation from Louisiana, calling his approach to the abortion debate “a little embarrassing.”
“We’re deteriorating in a way where we can’t have conversations and talk to people anymore,” Day said. “You just drop the F-bomb, and that’s how you solve problems in the party, it seems.”
Even some supporters of the Democratic Party’s abortion platform take issue with Newsom’s approach.
Corbin Trent, a former adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and former spokesman for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), told the Washington Examiner that he thinks there is “a place for making reproductive rights less of a focus” for Democratic candidates in the lead-up to the 2028 election cycle.
When asked if Newsom’s approach was too brash, Trent said he thinks Newsom’s highly aggressive opposition to anything President Donald Trump or Republicans support is not conducive to winning the White House.
“I think you should definitely back your values, and I think you know, probably [Newsom] believes what he’s saying and doing, but I think that you should understand that America is in a different moment right now,” Trent said.
Both Beshear and Shapiro have made clear that they support abortion but have tried to use more nuance in their approaches.
Beshear, a three-time elected Democrat in a solid red state, told the Washington Examiner at a Center for American Progress town hall last week that he sought not to alienate centrist Republicans in the wake of the overturning of Roe.
Kentucky has one of the strictest gestational age limits on abortion in the country, not allowing exceptions for rape or incest.
Beshear said his approach to abortion involves finding common ground with those on the opposite side of the aisle “because people don’t like extremism.”
“When we’re willing to find that common ground and start talking from there, what you typically see is the discussion then starts getting into what’s a reasonable number of weeks, and so hopefully we can do that in states that have laws like ours,” Beshear said.
Shapiro, in contrast to both Beshear’s cordiality and Newsom’s brashness, has taken a middle-ground approach during his gubernatorial reelection campaign as a precursor to a speculated 2028 run.
Abortion is not as much of an active political debate in Pennsylvania as it is in Kentucky, since Democrats control both legislative chambers. The Commonwealth allows abortion up until 24 weeks of pregnancy.
But Shapiro has made several statements on social media in recent months affirming his commitment to protect abortion access during his reelection campaign.
Shapiro, who has largely steered clear of culture war problems in the purple Commonwealth, earlier this month said that, as governor, he will ensure abortion remains “safe, legal, and accessible here in Pennsylvania.”
He issued a similar message on Valentine’s Day, saying that abortion is healthcare and he will “stand up to anyone who tries to get in the way of a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body — up to and including the President of the United States.”
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Day said, though she disagrees with their point of view on abortion, she wants the tactics of Shapiro and Beshear to win out in the lead-up to the next presidential election season.
“I would hope that Shapiro and Bashearr remain as adults at the table, because I just feel like Newsom is just trying to get attention, like a little kid trying to get attention,” Day said.