Newsom Loses a Battle, But May Be Winning the War
LeAnn
Thu, 05/04/2023 – 04:00
We begin this column with a pop quiz having to do with California governor Gavin Newsom’s visit last weekend to Washington, DC—Newsom’s second April trip beyond the Golden State’s borders for reasons not necessarily germane to California’s affairs.
Newsom was in the nation’s capital to:
Help President Biden’s reelection campaign, as advertised to reporters
Check out what if anything remained of the Tidal Basin’s cherry blossoms
Keep the presidential buzz alive on the remote chance that Biden changes his mind about seeking reelection, or . . .
All of the above
The correct answer?
A combination of the third option—keeping the buzz alive, though a Newsom 2028 bid is the more realistic option now that Biden has stated his intentions for 2024—plus taking a victory lap for the manner in which Biden framed his argument for a second term.
Here’s where Newsom has a right to gloat: Biden’s three-minute video, released not long before Newsom’s arrival in DC, announced his 2024 candidacy with the repeated use of the word “freedom”—the first word, in fact, uttered by Biden in his pitch to voters.
The American president didn’t offer any thoughts as to the state …read more
Source:: Hoover Institution