the Second Amendment. He has threatened to file criminal charges against GOP


governors who ship South American migrants who’ve crossed the border to California. He has toured red states, bemoaning what he calls “states


where freedom is most under attack.” “[Newsom is] acting like the candidate in waiting . . . some-


day it may pay off for him,” California GOP consultant Rob Stutzman told the Los Angeles Times. The liberal base loves Newsom’s self-proclaimed role as


“attack-dog-in-chief” against Republicans. He held his own in a recent debate with Florida Gov. Ron


DeSantis with a defense of Democrat spending policies and attacks on the Republican stance on abortion that were far more robust than Biden is capable of. He thrilled the party base by calling DeSantis a “small, pa- thetic man” on national television. Indeed, the charismatic Newsom loves to throw political


catnip to progressives by painting a rosy picture in which California, a deeply blue state in which Democrats hold every statewide office, is governed from the left without apologies. His supporters are quietly circulating to liberal reporters


a recent YouGov/Yahoo News survey that found Newsom would beat Trump by 40% to 39% in a hypothetical 2024 gen- eral election matchup. But sober-minded Democrat consultants warn that the


same qualities that endear Newsom to the Democratic Par- ty’s base could become heavy political baggage in a general election campaign. In his debate with Newsom, DeSantis called California a


representation of “the Biden-Harris agenda on steroids.” He slammed Newsom for his unpopular COVID-19 lockdowns that saw the wealthy California governor ignore his adminis- tration’s own health protocols. First, he attended a birthday party at the uber-expensive


French Laundry restaurant in Napa. Months later he ap- peared maskless at a football game where face coverings were mandatory. Then he was forced to pull his children out of a summer


day camp that did not require kids to wear masks, a violation of state policy. State Sen. Brian Dahle, a Republican, says Newsom’s


64 NEWSMAX | FEBRUARY 2024


charm and slickness is a thin veneer that barely conceals his “delusions of grandeur.” Dahle believes that Newsom will not be able to obscure


California’s governance problems: “He has failed Califor- nians on every level — from affordability to rampant crime, homelessness, and failing our students.” Even some journalists agree that Newsom would have a tough time painting California as a model. “Opposition researchers would have a field day with New-


som,” says Dan Walters, the dean of the California press corps and a columnist with CalMatters.com. “[They] would use images of a dystopian California — such


as homeless encampments and smash-and-grab robberies — to suggest that a President Newsom would infect the rest of the country.” Walters mentions two issues he says illustrate the chal-


lenge that Newsom would have in selling his pitch that Cali- fornia is a success story.


O


n jan. 1, a new law made california the first state to offer government-paid health insurance to


all undocumented immigrants. They will be allowed to join Medi-Cal, California’s version of the federal Medic- aid program for people with low incomes. Previously, undocumented immigrants were not quali-


fied to receive comprehensive health insurance, but were al- lowed to receive emergency and pregnancy-related services. “In California, we believe everyone deserves access


to quality, affordable healthcare coverage — regardless of income or immigration status,” Newsom’s office told ABC News. But legal immigrants are split on the issue, with many


resentful that while they or their ancestors followed pro- cedures to enter the U.S., people whose first act entering the country was to break the law are now being rewarded. A new nationwide poll of 3,300 immigrants by the


Kaiser Family Foundation and the Los Angeles Times finds that while 59% said they supported healthcare cov- erage for the undocumented, naturalized citizens were evenly split on the issue. A large number in both groups expressed concern that immigration enforcement wasn’t tough enough.


NEWSOM/AP IMAGES / CHILD/SILVIA FLORES/THE FRESNO FRESNO/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE VIA GETTY IMAGES


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