Commentary: Gavin Newsom is a lame duck. Can his presidential hopes still take flight?
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Set us as preferred Gavin Newsom, the California governor who loves to heckle Donald Trump and talk about the “big swings” he’s taken at policy while in office, is now a lame duck.Within a few short months, he will be termed out of office and return to being a regular citizen, if not an average one.
Newsom’s presidential ambitions are stronger than ever, and there’s virtually no list of Democratic hopefuls that doesn’t include his name near the top.But 2028 is a long way away, about a millennium in political time.
Newsom has a tough road ahead to not just stay relevant, but also to forge a difficult path between keeping a national profile as a Trump-attacking defender of democracy and not getting pummeled (or worse, ignored) when he loses the safety and power of his elected office.Our columnists Anita Chabria and Mark Z.
Barabak take a look at what the next few months, and the next year, may have in store after the governor becomes simply Mr.Newsom.
Chabria: Newsom is making the most of his last leg in office.Recently, he went on an election jaunt through the South, visiting the Carolinas and Alabama to help campaign and raise money in those states.The Voting Rights Project at UCLA files a lawsuit to stop Americans’ personal data from being swept up by the federal government to further Trump’s false conspiracy about illegal immigrants voting in elections.It is not his first out-of-state trip to lend a hand in campaigns, but likely one of his last as governor.
He wouldn’t be the first elected official to have a gap year (or years) before being elected to the Oval Office — Ronald Reagan had more than five years off between being governor of California and winning the presidency — but it’s definitely a disadvantage.How much do you think being out of office hurts Newsom?Barabak: Loyal readers of this c...