At the rate California Governor Gavin Newsom and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are exchanging blows, one would be forgiven for assuming that Newsome has entered the 2024 presidential race. But despite Newsom’s regular digs at Republican governors and his well-publicized commentary about America-wide issues, the infamous California governor hasn’t officially thrown his hat into the ring.
That isn’t to say, of course, that Newsom won’t ever announce – whether it’s this time around, or perhaps in 2028. The prospect of a Newsom presidency, however, should terrify everybody.
As the governor of one of the most crime-riddled and expensive states in the country, plagued by homelessness and drug use, it’s hard to imagine that Newsom could ever win a presidential election on merit alone. Then again, the Democrats won with Joe Biden in 2020 and despite his obvious age-related illnesses and verbal gaffes, could win again next year.
If Newsom ever runs for president, here’s what we could expect.
An Unpopular Leader Who Only Wins Against Hardcore Republicans
If Newsom runs, he can win if he goes up against an ultra-conservative Republican who can’t connect with the plight of the working man, who can’t stop talking about banning abortion, and who conflates drag shows for children with regular old drag shows and adult liberal shenanigans.
Newsom faced a recall election in 2021, and despite being one of the least popular and effective governors in the country, he won against ultra-conservative Republican candidate Larry Elder.
Newsom could be the next Biden; a president elected because the American people couldn’t stomach the other guy.
Much More Homelessness Thanks to Gavin Newsom
If Newsom can’t get a grip on homelessness in California, it’s hard to imagine that he’d be particularly effective at working with elected officials across the country to stamp down on the issue in places like New York.
Despite pledging $1 billion in homelessness funding this year and calling for more “aggressive action” in 2022, the California governor simply can’t accept that some people will always refuse help, and will choose drugs over rehabilitation every time. Newsom’s pseudo-compassionate approach in California has made the lives of millions of tax-paying Californians a living hell – and he could inflict that same fate on the rest of the country.
Dwindling Investment in America
Businesses just keep leaving California. A study from Stanford University’s Hoover Institution found that businesses are leaving the state twice as fast as they have in years prior, with businesses looking to low-tax, low-crime states to achieve growth.
If Newsom makes America in his California’s image, then businesses have nowhere to go but abroad. And in the digital age – and with countries like India aggressively seeking investment from the West – there’s no telling just how many businesses might look to leave the United States.
If Gavin Newsom runs, the country better hope that the Republicans put up a candidate capable of actually winning.
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
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