California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom is traveling to red states he banned official travel to with his new political action committee (PAC) while rumors of a possible presidential run swirl.
Newsom and his family are traveling to Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas this week to boost Dem gubernatorial candidates in the deep-red states, along with his Campaign for Democracy, his new PAC.
The Dem governor’s travels come as his name has circulated as a potential front-runner for the party’s nomination if President Biden opts out of running for re-election in 2024.
Governor Newsom is testing the political waters while positioning himself as a possible candidate for the White House or a fundraising force for Democrats in 2024.
The governor’s next move as either a candidate or key pitchman for Dem candidates hinges on Biden’s next move.
Newsom’s stance as a progressive, pro-choice Democrat is at odds with the Democrat candidate for governor in Mississippi, Brandon Presley, who is staunchly pro-life.
The California governor recently severed ties between California and the pharmacy company Walgreens because the company refused to distribute an abortion drug in 20 states.
However, Newsom and Presley didn’t meet, with the governor choosing to meet with Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. Presley maintains he didn’t meet with Newsom because of Palm Sunday services.
Newsom’s travel appears at odds with his political ban on state-funded travel to 23 GOP-run states
While not official travel, the governor’s plans seemed to violate the spirit of his widely-panned political ban on state-funded and state-sponsored travel to 23 GOP-run states.
Anthony York, Newsom’s spokesperson, said the governor’s trip had nothing to do with a state Dem’s attempt to repeal the law and “no state-paid staff will be on this trip.”
The Golden State’s governor dropped $10 million into the new PAC last week, and made claims about Republicans in those states, calling their governors “authoritarian leaders.”
In a video announcing his new PAC, Newsom claimed that GOP states “criminalize doctors,” “stoke racism,” “intimidate librarians,” “kidnap migrants,” “condone antisemitism,” and “target trans kids,” along with other claims.
Newsom, well-known for breaking his own Covid-19 lockdown measures for a friend’s birthday dinner at California’s French Laundry restaurant, also claimed leaders in the state “ignore the will of the people and make it harder to vote and easier to buy assault weapons.”
Georgia saw a record turnout of voters in the 2022 midterm elections after the enaction of the state’s voting law that Dem critics claim suppresses voters.
Gov. Newsom has taken to slamming states that are rivals of his own, including frequently attacking Texas and the state’s Governor Greg Abbott.
The CA governor has frequently criticized Texas for its gun laws, conservative values, taxes, and abortion. He has erected billboards in the Lone Star State promoting abortion access while running for re-election in California.
“Texas doesn’t own your body. You do,” read one billboard featuring a woman in handcuffs.
Another ad run by Newsom in Texas said, “If Texas can ban abortion and endanger lives, California can ban deadly weapons of war and save lives. If Gov. Abbott truly wants to protect the right to life, we urge him to follow California’s lead.”
