Gov. Gavin Newsom of California teased the idea of running for president in the 2028 elections in an interview with CBS. While he is by no means the ideal presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, there is no such thing as a “perfect” political figure, let alone president.
Newsom has been governing California since 2019, following eight years as lieutenant governor of California and seven years as the mayor of San Francisco. During his time as mayor, Newsom started handing out same-sex marriage licenses in San Francisco in 2004. This was 11 years before Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States.
More recently, Newsom’s name has been splattered across headlines due to the loud and combative manner he has taken with President Donald Trump and his administration. Through clever tweets and mocking remarks, Newsom has garnered widespread support from those who are also criticizing Trump.
Newsom has even gone as far as to send out ballots Nov. 4 with a singular question: Whether or not Californians would want to redistrict the Golden State strictly as a countermeasure to the redistricting of Texas, which was redistricted at Trump’s command. Newsom’s mentality of, “if they play dirty, so should we,” has been a departure from how his fellow democrats are handling this administration.
While we cannot discredit the importance of having a political figure standing up in the face of Trump’s blatant disregard for American citizens, it is even more important to note that Newsom is not perfect in any way shape or form.
Once Newsom became popular due to his way of handling Trump, Californians brought forth Newsom’s short-comings, something they are overly aware of due to his extensive time as their governor.
Star-studded and glamorous California is home to all your favorite movie stars and the largest population of homeless people in the entire United States. Instead of focusing on state-based housing or putting funds towards rehabilitation, Newsom decided to instate a task force to go and dismantle homeless encampments around the state.
That is not what the disadvantaged of my home state need. They do not need to be brutalized and scrutinized, but rather given an environment that they can flourish within and become contributing members of society. Siccing his personal task force on people already down on their luck does not improve their lives by any means.
Newsom’s handling of the homelessness population has been lackluster for Californians, to say the least. It is one of the few issues that is agreed upon by both Northern and Southern Californians, a statewide issue that Newsom has struggled to handle repeatedly.
Now, I am not trying to discourage people from voting for Newsom if the situation arises. But, I am trying to destroy this narrative that he is the politician the democrats have been waiting, and waiting and waiting for. No one, not even Newsom, is perfect enough for that.
A common problem within the Democratic Party tends to be their desire for a “perfect” candidate. The reason democrats struggle to secure seats and elect officials is because the candidate they’re searching for does not exist and never will.
The concept of perfection politics — that there is some candidate coming along to sweep America off her feet — is something that seems to only apply to the democratic party.
It is why they struggle so adamantly to hold control over both the House of Representatives and the Senate. It’s why, when the 2024 election rolled around, they were unprepared to take down Trump. Leaving former President Joe Biden in the race for far-too long and giving former Vice President Kamala Harris a few months to scrap together a campaign, facing off against Trump and his MAGA supporters, the Democratic Party crumbled.
In order to not only get seats but also keep them, the Democratic Party needs to realize there is no superhero politician coming to save them. They have to save themselves and the first step in doing that is by acknowledging that even if you don’t agree with everything a politician stands for, you can still vote for them.
No one is perfect, and especially not public figures. I do not expect them to be perfect, but I do expect them to do better. Begrudgingly, come 2028, Newsom’s name will most likely have a filled in bubble next to it. With the understanding that he is not perfect, but the expectation that he will do better.
