Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) called on those within his party to prioritize winning elections over trying to “win an argument” while campaigning for Democratic candidates in Nevada on Saturday.
Newsom emphasized the importance of the Democratic Party coming together as a “big tent” by embracing all kinds of Democrats, arguing that he wants to “win” and warning against a “ruthless” Right.
“So often my party, I say with love and respect, wants to win an argument and is willing to sacrifice an election,” Newsom told reporters on Saturday. “We need to win back the House of Representatives. We need to save this republic, our democracy.”
The governor’s trip to Nevada was part of his national tour to support Democratic candidates running in the midterm elections in battleground states and the South, where he will specifically aim to reach black voters in traditionally red regions.
Newsom’s comments came in response to a question regarding the recent rise in socialist and progressive candidates making headway in Democratic primaries across the country.
However, Newsom did not give any specific examples in his remarks.
Newsom said he believes “in his soul” that the country would be unrecognizable under continued Republican leadership, emphasizing the need for Democrats to take back control of the House in November with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as speaker.
“I intimately do not believe this country will be recognizable if we don’t have Speaker Jeffries getting that gavel in the matter of months,” Newsom said. “I really believe that. Donald Trump is just winding up.”
Newsom said he finds it “healthy” to have a wide range of candidates within the Democratic Party, including those backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, and recounted running against a Green Party candidate in the 2003 San Francisco mayoral election.
“I’ve seen this ascendancy before, you know, Green Party progressives in the Bay Area where I’m from, there’s so many aspects of the debate and arguments today that are deeply familiar,” Newsom said. “I think it’s a very healthy thing … and I’m one of those Democrats that deeply believes in addition, not division, so I want a big tent party.”
“I want to win. The Right is ruthless. They know how to win,” Newsom added.
Newsom, who is widely viewed as a 2028 contender, began the tour in Nevada by campaigning for Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, the Democratic nominee in the Nevada gubernatorial election against incumbent Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.
As a battleground state, Nevada has become a must-visit location for possible 2028 presidential candidates, with at least 18 possible contenders from both parties going to the state since March 2025, according to a tracker by the Nevada Independent.
Last week’s trip marks Newsom’s second time visiting the state, tying him for the second-most visits with seven other 2028 possible contenders, including former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY).
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) has been to Nevada the most, with five visits.
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Recent elections have shown that Nevada is a pivotal purple state. In the last two presidential elections, the candidate who won the Silver State went on to win the presidential election.
Nevada flipped back to red in 2024, with Trump defeating then-Vice President Kamala Harris by 3.1% in the state, after Joe Biden won the state by 2.4% in 2020.