Newsom starting political organization to oppose GOP leaders

California Governor Gavin Newsom is forming a new organization called the Campaign for Democracy. This group is meant to stand up against Republican leaders in other states by targeting their policies. Newsom believes that “authoritarian leaders” are the greatest threat to the country. He claims that they are “directly attacking our freedoms in state after state” and are so obsessed with gaining power that they are willing to do whatever it takes to win.

During a video that Newsom posted on Twitter on Friday, he talked about going on the road to take the fight to states where freedom is most under attack. He mentioned Republican leaders that have been accused of banning books, criminalizing doctors, firing teachers, intimidating librarians, kidnapping migrants, targeting trans kids, stoking racism, condoning antisemitism, forcing the victims of rape and incest to carry their attacker’s baby, ignoring the will of the people, making it harder to vote and easier to buy assault weapons, and more.

In the video, Newsom showed several GOP leaders, including Govs. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Greg Abbott (R-TX), Tate Reeves (R-MS), and Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR), as well as former President Donald Trump and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). He said that he intends to invest in people and organizations that are fighting back in these states. Newsom believes that 2024 is the next big battle, and he plans to lead the fight to elect leaders who believe in democracy.

The Campaign for Democracy lists DeSantis, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Abbott as the “threats” to democracy. It accuses DeSantis of being a cowardly bully who has gained political power by scapegoating minorities. It accuses McCarthy of shamefully selling out our democracy to hold on to even the slightest grip of power in Washington. It claims that Abbott is waging a full-scale assault on personal freedoms and rights in Texas.

Newsom has been a vocal opponent of DeSantis, who is seen as a likely Republican presidential contender for 2024. In July 2022, Newsom ran advertisements in Florida denouncing DeSantis and encouraging Floridians to move to California, where he says people still believe in freedom. In September 2022, Newsom sent a letter to the Justice Department demanding they prosecute Florida and Texas over transporting immigrants to liberal areas.

The new political organization may cause people to wonder whether Newsom will sit out of the 2024 presidential race. However, Newsom recently went on a “policy tour” in lieu of a State of the State address, and the term-limited governor is now vowing to “take the fight” to other states. Although the placement of images of Biden and Harris while he discusses 2024 may suggest that he is still backing the current Democratic ticket for reelection, Newsom may be eyeing 2024 or 2028.

A recent poll from Quinnipiac University found that 70% of Californians do not want Newsom to run for president, while 24% would like to see him run.