California Gov. Gavin Newsom is attempting a political makeover ahead of the 2028 presidential race, and the activist left is already signaling it will not let him pivot to the center without a fight.
According to Western Journal, the Democratic governor, long associated with Californias progressive excesses, is now trying to soften his image on foreign policy, particularly on Israel, in what appears to be an early bid to broaden his national appeal. In an interview with Politico, The Sacramento Bee reported, Newsom expressed regret for having previously labeled Israel an apartheid state, conceding that those were the wrong words in this context, and insisting he revered Israel and was proud to support them.
Newsom then attempted to thread the needle by shifting his criticism away from the Jewish state itself and toward Israeli leadership, singling out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he said he deeply, deeply opposed. He further attacked Netanyahu over his opposition to the two-state solution and deeply oppose(s) how he is indulging the far-right as it relates to whats going on in the West Bank.
That attempted nuance did not placate the hard left, which has increasingly embraced anti-Israel rhetoric and policies that many Americans view as extreme and destabilizing. Mediaite reported that leftist commentator Kyle Kulinski blasted Newsoms recalibration as political suicide, deriding the governors repositioning as nonsense.
Kulinski aired his frustration alongside fellow progressive podcaster Jennifer Welch on her show, Ive Had It, where both hosts made clear they see any support for Israel as a betrayal of their ideological camp. Welch dismissed Newsoms walk-back with a curt, Ive heard enough.
She went further, lamenting, Why are we in this world where you cannot say a fact? That Israel is an apartheid state, doubling down on the very language Newsom is now trying to escape. Why do we have Democrats that are denying facts in the same way that MAGA does? she added, equating mainstream Democrats with the conservative movement that helped elect President Donald Trump and continues to shape national policy in his second administration.
Kulinski, for his part, scolded Newsom to Read the room! and argued that current polling does not support Democrat voters standing with Israel, underscoring how far left the partys activist base has drifted. The message from these influencers is clear: any Democrat seeking national office will be punished for deviating from the hard-left orthodoxy on Israel, even if that deviation is modest and rhetorical.
With roughly two and a half years until the 2028 election, Newsom appears trapped between a radical base and a broader electorate that has watched California deteriorate under his watch. The governors attempt to rebrand himself as more centrist and less of a far-left ideologue reflects a career defined by progressive policies that have driven businesses and families to red states in search of order, safety, and economic sanity.
Newsoms record offers little for a national campaign to celebrate, from rampant homelessness and crime to high taxes and regulatory overreach that have hollowed out the states middle class. Hes known as the official that made thousands flee for sensible policies in red states and not look back.
With his term ending after this year and hopefully Californias nightmare under his leadership the governor has 24 months to prepare for a likely presidential bid. That time will almost certainly be spent downplaying his gubernatorial record and staging more calculated retreats from far-left positions, as he did on Israel, in an effort to appear palatable to swing voters who have already seen what progressive governance looks like in practice.
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