Newsom promotes populist programs as potential presidential preview
Beyond a concerted effort to position himself as President Donald Trump’s chief nemesis, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is using his final term in office to build his populist credentials.
Newsom’s most recent moves may be the latest signs he’s interested in a run at the White House in 2028. The two new initiatives are anti-crime and pro-family, which poll well with swing voters.
“It’s a really good tactic,” Celinda Lake, a pollster and political strategist for the Democratic Party, told Straight Arrow. “It’s also a really good tactic for someone who realizes that what the voters want right now is action.”
Newsom has not officially declared a presidential run but has acknowledged he’s considering it.
Solving cold cases
Among the recent moves from Newsom, major financial rewards for solving cold cases.
“I’m offering $50,000 rewards to anyone providing information that helps crack unsolved crimes in California,” Newsom said on X. “If you know something, it is your duty to come forward to give victims and their loved ones justice.”
Newsom listed out dozens of cases throughout the Golden State that have not been solved.
Data from Pew Research shows violent crime is still a top concern of Americans, particularly among Republican voters.
“There are just a whole bunch of common-sense solutions out there that aren’t Democrat or Republican, that aren’t liberal or conservative, that just makes sense,” Lake said. “Who’s not for solving cold cases?”
Providing free diapers
The governor has also launched what his office says is a first-in-the-nation program to give a supply of diapers to new parents in the state.
“California is taking on the cost of raising a family head-on — delivering free school meals, making preschool free for every four-year-old, expanding after-school programs, and now making sure parents leave the hospital with the basics their newborn needs,” Newsom said.
The state will partner with Baby2Baby, a nonprofit headquartered in Los Angeles. The program is estimated to cost the state $20 million.
The plan is to distribute diapers directly to families through participating hospitals. Each family will leave with 400 diapers at no cost.
At the start of the program, the plan is to prioritize hospitals that serve larger numbers of patients on Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program.
Pew Research’s data shows that affordability and inflation are among the top concerns of voters.
“I think it really resonates,” Lake said. “And I think that some of the strongest candidates that we can nominate are governors, because they communicate. They get things done from Day 1.”
That plan has received some pushback over the cost, including from leading Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, who said taxpayers are paying triple the retail cost for the diapers.
It’s also gotten pushback over corruption allegations. The nonprofit involved is led by an executive who sits on the board of Newsom’s wife’s organization.
Wooing swing voters
If Newsom wants to ascend to the top office in the nation, he’ll need to convince voters in swing states like North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan that he’s the man for the job.
A recent AtlasIntel poll shows Newsom is one of the top three candidates to win the Democratic nomination, behind only Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
“Things can change a lot, but he’s doing a great job of staying visible, reinforcing that image,” Lake said.
Newsom has made other moves that could appeal to swing voters, such as implementing renewable energy policies and lowering prescription drug costs.
However, when it comes to the national stage, data shows many Americans have an unfavorable view of the potential presidential candidate.
One of the first states to vote in every presidential election cycle is New Hampshire. New polling shows support for Newsom waning in that state.
His support has been on the rise in California, especially with his well-documented pushback against the Trump administration, including redrawing the state’s congressional maps ahead of the midterm elections.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
