Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is brushing aside concerns among some Democrats over the rise of socialist candidates, saying he will campaign for whoever wins the party’s nomination as Democrats work to retake the House of Representatives.
The comments come as Newsom has spent months positioning himself as a pragmatic Democrat ahead of a likely 2028 presidential bid, raising questions about how he will balance his appeal to moderates with support for a party base that has grown increasingly progressive.
“I’m for addition, in the spirit of academia, not for subtraction,” Newsom said Thursday. “Parties are better off when they have some grace and humility, and there’s fundamental shared values that unite us together.”
Newsom dismissed concerns over the party’s ideological shifts, calling them “incredibly healthy.”
“I’ve seen this all my life. I think it’s incredibly healthy. I don’t understand this notion of zero-sum politics — and it’s always been present,” he said. “I’ve been sort of mystified by the punditry.”
He pointed to the Green Party’s influence in the late 1990s and early 2000s, arguing that many of its once-fringe priorities — including universal transitional kindergarten, free community college, environmental policies, and higher minimum wages — have since been embraced by Democrats.
“The Venn diagram from my perspective is sort of 80/20, as opposed to 20/80,” Newsom said. “I just don’t see this in those old terms.”
He also said he plans to campaign directly for progressive Democrat Randy Villegas, who is challenging Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) in California’s competitive 22nd Congressional District. Newsom has already helped raise money for Villegas and several other Democrats running in key congressional races across the state.
Still, it remains unclear whether Newsom’s pledge to support Democratic nominees would extend to candidates affiliated with more ideological factions of the Democratic Socialists of America, including the Liberation Caucus, which describes itself as a “Marxist-Leninist-Maoist caucus.” An email to the governor’s political team seeking clarification went unanswered.
Newsom’s broad embrace of Democratic nominees could help him maintain support among the party’s progressive wing as he prepares for a national campaign, but it also risks reigniting questions about whether his moderate image aligns with the candidates he is backing.
Tiffany Raspberry, a Democratic strategist and former deputy mayor of New York City, told the Washington Examiner that Newsom is taking a political gamble by pledging to support every Democratic nominee.
She argued the governor is trying to keep the party unified ahead of the midterm elections while avoiding alienating the coalition he may need for a potential 2028 presidential campaign.
“He knows the party needs a unified base fired up to win back the House and Senate,” Raspberry said, adding that backing every nominee allows him to avoid choosing sides in the growing divide between moderate Democrats and socialists.
But Raspberry questioned whether Newsom’s call for “grace and humility” would be reciprocated by the party’s left flank. She pointed to recent races in New York City, where Rep. Adriano Espaillat endorsed then-Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani in the name of party unity but later lost his own reelection bid to a socialist challenger despite Mamdani’s earlier pledge to support him. She also noted that Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, another Mamdani ally, was passed over in favor of a newcomer backed by socialists.
“I hope that the grace Newsom is extending flows both ways,” Raspberry said. “He’s asking moderates to stay loyal to a group that just showed it won’t necessarily do the same for them. That’s the danger.”
NEWSOM KICKS OFF SWING-STATE ROAD TRIP AS POLLS SHOW SUPPORT DIPPING
Democratic strategist David McLaughlin said the term-limited governor should focus on defeating Trump rather than looking ahead to 2028.
“Politics should be like sports, and you should take one game at a time,” he told the Washington Examiner. “For any Democrat, that means retaking the House and the Senate. Without some legislative check on Donald Trump and the MAGA agenda, the 2028 presidential election might be a moot point for Gavin Newsom and other Democrats.”