LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 As a wounded Democratic Party struggles to regroup, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is holding mostly chummy conversations with prominent conservatives on a new podcast he's touting as a way for the party to grapple with the MAGA movement's popularity.
In doing so, he appears intent on showing he is more than a progressive warrior. But he has stunned some members of his own party by agreeing with his guests on issues such as . Newsom called dismantling police departments 鈥渓unacy鈥 and remained silent when an architect of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, falsely said Trump won the 2020 presidential election.
The programs provide a fresh lens on a liberal governor and potential 2028 presidential candidate who not long ago was enlisted as a chief surrogate for President Joe Bidensa国际传媒 campaign. Ahead of the 2022 midterms, he for being too passive in defending abortion rights and same-sex marriage, an issue he championed two decades ago as mayor of San Francisco.
Newsom said his choice of podcast guests reflects his interest in knowing more about how Republicans organized in the last election, when Trump swept every battleground state and Republicans locked up majorities in the House and Senate.
鈥淚 think we all agreed after the last election that itsa国际传媒 important for Democrats to explore new and unique ways of talking to people,鈥 he added in an email to supporters.
Newsom's party criticizes his guests
After spotlighting Bannon, conservative radio personality Michael Savage and Turning Point USA founder , Newsom will quickly diversify his lineup: His next guest is Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, last year's Democratic vice presidential nominee. But some Democrats say the governor, who is widely viewed as having presidential ambitions, is selling out Democratic values in favor of his own political aspirations.
Aimee Allison, the founder and president of She the People, a national organizing hub for electing women of color, said Newsom is betraying California and 鈥渟howing his weakness and naked ambition.鈥 Allison was among Democrats who helped Newsom defeat a 2021 .
鈥淲e need a governor that will defend Californiasa国际传媒 values, support vulnerable children, LGBTQ+ people, Black people, women, and everyone else whosa国际传媒 in the line (of) fire of the Trump administration. Instead he is making the worst moves possible in a time of rising fascism. Hesa国际传媒 trying to remake himself to be acceptable to MAGA,鈥 Allison wrote in an email, referring to supporters of Trump's 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥 movement.
California Assembly member Chris Ward and state Sen. Carolina Menjivar, who lead the statesa国际传媒 LGBTQ+ legislative caucus, said they were 鈥減rofoundly sickened鈥 by Newsomsa国际传媒 statement on transgender athletes. And Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, another potential 2028 candidate, said of Bannon, "I don鈥檛 think we should give him oxygen on any platform 鈥 ever, anywhere.鈥
Finding a new audience
Podcasts have become an increasingly important venue in politics, and as Newsom considers a national campaign he has been praised by some for venturing into unfamiliar territory.
Democratic consultant Bill Burton, who was national press secretary for former President Barack Obamasa国际传媒 2008 campaign, credited Newsom with trying to reach voters who might not engage with traditional media.
鈥淚 think there are going to be a lot of people this alienates in the short term,鈥 Burton said. But, he added, Democrats 鈥渉ave to take a lot of big swings.鈥
The governor 鈥 who called Trump a threat to American democracy throughout last yearsa国际传媒 campaign 鈥 has been trying to navigate a tenuous relationship with the White House as the state recovers from the devastating Los Angeles wildfires in January. He's requested in federal aid.
Newsom, while progressive, has never been locked into one ideological position: He's broken at times with more liberal factions in the Legislature. His shift this time may be to head off the kind of criticism Republicans have aimed at former Vice President Kamala Harris, also of California, or edge toward positions more closely in line with public opinion. According to AP VoteCast, 55% of voters nationwide in the 2024 election said support for transgender rights in government and society has gone too far.
During the podcast episodes released so far, Newsom has been mostly affable and agreeable, though he's challenged his guests at times. This is not the tart-tongued Newsom who appeared in a 2023 with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whom he described as weak and pathetic, or who called the state legislature into last year to attempt to safeguard the statesa国际传媒 progressive policies under a Trump administration.
In an age of rigid partisanship, talking with the other side is 鈥渟o rarely a part of public discourse it seems like either bravery or lunacy,鈥 said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego. 鈥淲hile there are clear risks, he is trying to align his national reputation ... in a slightly unpredictable middle.鈥
