California Governor Gavin Newsom lamented Tuesday that the Democratic Party lacks a message following Democrats’ electoral defeat, and claims the party has yet to dissect what exactly went wrong for its candidates last November.
Newsom, a Democrat himself, tells The Hill that he’s still “struggling” to contend with the state of the party.
“We have not done a forensic of what went wrong, period, full stop,” Newsom told the outlet.
“I don’t [just] think it, I know it … I represent the state larger than 21 state populations combined, and I can assure you there has not been a party discussion that I’m aware of that has included the state of California,” he added.
Newsom’s remarks come a month after the Democratic Party’s popularity hit its lowest point in decades, according to polls by NBC News and CNN.
“I don’t know what the party is,” Newsom added.
Newsom isn’t the only powerful Democratic lawmaker publicly criticizing the party.
Minnesota Governor and former Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz said the party needs to “be better organized.” Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman also claimed Democrats need to get their “s*** together soon,” or risk falling into “a permanent minority.”
Similarly, a party strategist told Politico last month that Democrats don’t “realize how f***** they are right now as a brand.”
Newsom, whose final term will end in 2026, is considered a potential Democratic frontrunner in the 2028 presidential race. But the governor has received pushback in recent weeks after hosting several friendly sitdowns with MAGA extremists on his podcast.
Newsom’s guests included former White House strategist Steve Bannon, who consistently promotes conspiracy theories on his War Room podcast. Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk also made an appearance, along with right-wing radio host Michael Savage.
But the governor has dismissed the criticisms.
“The reaction when I had Charlie Kirk and Bannon on was exactly to me Exhibit A of what I feel is wrong right now with my party: an unwillingness to even engage … to listen,” Newsom told The Hill.
Democrats “wanted it to be a debate, as opposed to, these two voices had a disproportionate impact on the voice you’re hearing every single day, in the megaphone in 1600 Pennsylvania Ave,” he added. “So maybe we should pay attention and at least express a desire to absorb and learn from what they’re doing and how successful they’ve been.”
