Gavin Newsom and Marshawn Lynch launch Politickin podcast

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is getting into the media business and could find a new way to connect with voters.

The governor is teaming up with former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and Lynch’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, to launch a podcast on July 15.

Their podcast, Politickin, won’t be centered on policy matters but rather gives Newsom the platform to let his hair down and kick up his feet while he and the other hosts give listeners a “deeper understanding of what it takes to excel in their respective fields.”

The podcast has been in the making for more than a year, according to Newsom’s advisers.

Newsom and Lynch’s friendship dates back well over a decade, to when the governor served as a character witness to Lynch when the NFL star was under arrest for a DUI. Newsom went as far as calling NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Lynch’s behalf.

Lynch spent 12 years in the NFL, and his decision to start a podcast is a departure for a man who spent much of his football career avoiding the media. He was fined $1.2 million during his career for refusing to talk with the media, a clear violation of the NFL’s rules.

During a 2015 Super Bowl XLIX Media Day, the league threatened to fine him $500,000 if he skipped it. When asked questions by the media, Lynch repeated the same phrase to every question “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.”

With 18 months left in his term as governor, Newsom’s name has been considered by Democrat operatives as a 2028 Democratic candidate for president. 

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Now, following President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, Newsom has been floated as a possible replacement. However, Newsom has stood by the president, defending Biden’s showing at last week’s debate in Atlanta.

Newsom has raised more than a million dollars for Biden following the debate and will be in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday for a meeting with Biden and other Democratic governors.