The nomination is Gavin Newsom's to lose if he wants it

[DemocratSinceBirth]

This isn't an endorsement, just an observation.

[tinrobot]

1. As of today, that seems to be the case.

But one year is a lifetime in politics. The primaries are over two years out.

Hope he keeps up the momentum.

[democratsruletheday]

38. Agree....I"m in MIchigan and some people are still talking about

Whitmer but she lost clout with me by sucking up to tOrange Stain. GN is solid.

[tritsofme]

2. He may have positioned himself as an early frontrunner, but I think this pronouncement is quite premature

[dem4decades]

9. Who else then?

[tritsofme]

10. It's just too early, we don't know who will make the race.

[dem4decades]

15. I agree it's early but he has shot out of the gate, everyone else is spinning their wheels.

[tritsofme]

19. I don't think anyone can dispute his frontrunner status.

But at least in my mind, that is a far cry from the race being his to lose.

[Arazi]

31. JB Pritzker is at least neck and neck with Newsom atm

I presume other fighters will also emerge over the next two years.

Sandwich guy could run for anything in DC right now and win.

So I’m in a wait and see mode

[LuvLoogie]

58. I second with JB.

My heart's with Pete as a top 5-er.

You have to consider Kamala as a possibility.

Melanie Stansbury

AoC

These are the ones with the heart and the talent to gain attention.

[Haggard Celine]

3. Anything can happen between now and then.

And in America, anything happens pretty frequently. I have a prediction. I think it's going to be AOC. I'm not campaigning for her, but I think she is really catching fire. This election should be a generational shift. We're overdue.

[Ocelot II]

7. The sad reality is that for the foreseeable future if we nominate another woman we'll lose again.

Two of the most qualified women to have ever held public office in any capacity were beaten by the man most unqualified to ever do anything. I like AOC but she isn't anywhere near as qualified to be president as either Hillary Clinton or Kamala Harris, but even if she were, this country is still too backwards to elect any woman, let alone a Latina.

[Haggard Celine]

11. I agree with you, but I see events leading up

to something drastic happening. Not sure what, but these just feel like sketchy times. Maybe it would be more concrete to say that I'm perceiving a loss of confidence, both in others and myself. I hope enough of us can stand together in the near future to put down any attempts to harm this country. I think we will win, and who knows who we'll choose to lead us out of all of this. So I'm not really advocating we choose her, I just think she's in a really good position if we have a sort of transformational politics take over.

[themaguffin]

26. It would help her cause to win a statewide election first. Certainly likely there will be an opportunity for her in the

...Senate

[Haggard Celine]

29. I think she'd make a great Senator.

She is very good with people, and that is golden in her profession.

[Ocelot II]

4. Too soon. But he's on a roll, for now.

[Raven123]

5. One election at a time please

Let’s get through 2026

[Bluetus]

18. Of course

Newsom is trying to establish a balance where his people troll Trump to his face, but he maintains an image of being serious. He's finding a lane.

But I think Pritzker is also establishing a lane. In his case, he is trying to establish a balance between tough guy who would punch Trump in the face, but also being serious and thoughtful as Governor. I think he is making that work.

Others may emerge. I suggest we are in a new era where voters will reject the "go along to get along" attitude we have seen so much of over the past 50 years. That is forcing candidates to find ways to sharpen their attacks and messages without appearing unhinged.

I think that will make it difficult for Buttigieg, because his whole brand is being the reasonable, smart guy. IMHO, if forced to choose between a smart guy and a fighter, the public wants the fighter.

We are about 2 years away from the 2028 campaign beginning in earnest, so the job today is to be heavily engaged in TODAY'S fight against Trump/MAGA fascism. Governors of big states have an advantage because they can take strong, meaningful actions that Representatives or Senators cannot do, and people like Buttigieg can really just go in the media as a commentator.

I do agree, sadly, that we cannot take the risk of fielding a woman at the top of the ticket. That is a terrible condemnation of America, considering that nearly every prominent democracy has had at least one female head of state. But the stakes are too high. Much could change, but at this point, the likely candidates for the top of the ticket looks like very short list to me. Somebody could come out of nowhere, but it isn't feeling that way to me.

If I were a betting person (and I'm really not), I would say the strongest tickets look like Newsom/Buttigieg or Pritzker/Buttigieg. I hope Pete's sexuality is not a roadblock. He does seem to be highly respected, and I note that it hasn't been much of an issue for Tim Cook heading the second most profitable company in the world. Having Buttigieg on the tick would allow the POTUS contender to be edgier, more strident because people could rationalize that Pete would be a voice of reason always in the room.

All of the above may turn out to be completely wrong. But I do hope that after Tuesday, every serious Democrat now clearly understands that path forward is to VIGOROUSLY oppose Trump and these cruel Republican policies and actions, and not to try to flatter, appease, or otherwise tolerate Trump.

[Bobstandard]

20. Pete is great, but no

Qualified, smart, funny, empathetic, yes. But being gay is just as bad in the current climate as being female. What a shitty thing to have to say, but too true. Somebody else, please.

[Johnny2X2X]

6. I agree

He's an absolute force right now and the big money is going to be behind him from the start.

[agingdem]

14. absolutely..

and he needs a running mate that is as big a son-of-bitch as he is (and I say that with YOU GO GAVIN admiration)..a take no shit/knock them to the ground/boot to the neck/fuck "nice" running mate...

[DemocratSinceBirth]

64. As crazy as it sounds I could see a Newsom-AOC ticket.

[Gore1FL]

8. It's only 2025. nt

[ananda]

12. Well, he'd certainly get my vote.

And like Biden and Kennedy, he's handsome
and charming.

Not that that affects me at all, of course.

[allegorical oracle]

39. Read a bio of Newsome's wife and she seems amazingly sharp, fwiw. nt

[ananda]

54. She's definitely a good one.

It makes it hard to believe that he ever
fell for Kimberley Guilfoyle.

[leftstreet]

13. Can't he go be a Senator or something?

He can't win a national POTUS election

[Bobstandard]

21. Sure he can

He’s got all the qualities necessary. You clearly don’t like him, but it’s hard to deny that he’s got the goods.

[ITAL]

46. Probably not a Senator in CA though

At the moment at least, both Senators are relatively young by that chamber's standards. I doubt he'd challenge Schiff and he originally appointed Padilla, so it's likely they're close.

Winning the presidency would likely be easier than senate in CA right now.

[Buckeyeblue]

16. It depends on his ability to connect in the primary

He'll have to talk to voters in the south and midwest. He'll need to understand their priorities. California is very different from Michigan and South Carolina.

[BannonsLiver]

17. A strong contender for sure.

“But the rust belt!11”

“BUt cALiFoRnIA!1”



🙄😂

[Happy Hoosier]

22. I'd vote for him.

Is he perfect?

No.

Is he willing to fight?

YES. He knows the kind of fight we are in and and is willing to take it on. We need that desperately. Right now, the ideal policy take a back door to just kicking the MAGAts in the teeth.

[CTyankee]

23. I like him (if we can't have a woman president). He will staff his admin. with progressive women and men who know what

they're doing. AT LAST!

[Fiendish Thingy]

24. Hardly- way too early for a coronation

Once the primary campaign starts about a year from now, Newsom’s popularity polling will drop like a stone as other candidates declare and get media exposure.

Newsom has been the loudest voice among Dem elected officials in opposition to Trump, and he deserves credit for shepherding prop 50 to victory, but that doesn’t make him the best choice for the Dem 2028 nominee.

Newsom doesn’t even make my top 10- there are far better potential nominees out there.

Reminder: Newsom is the guy who had RWNJ’s (including Charlie Kirk)on his own podcast, giving them a platform to spew their hate and nonsense.

[BannonsLiver]

37. Top 10? Aren't you Canadian?

[maxsolomon]

53. LOL, name 10.

"Far better" in what way? In that they're not weighed down by charisma?

[Fiendish Thingy]

57. Charisma is a pretty weak criteria for selecting a president, Doncha think?

Just off the top of my head, in no particular order:

1. Whitmer
2. Hobbs
3. Buttiegieg
4. Murphy
5. Beshear
6. Pritzker
7. Warnock
8. Talarico
9. AOC
10. Walz

Those are current office holding Dems I think would make better presidents than Newsom. Add to that list former WA governor Jay Inslee.

Many of them probably aren’t even considering a run in 2028, and frankly, I think the DNC and the donor base will tip the scales towards nominating a straight, white male (likely not named Shapiro or Newsom). I think it’s entirely possible the nominee will be someone not on the list, who the general public barely knows.

Reminder- a year ago, Mamdani was polling at 1%

So, rather than pick apart my list, who are your 10 best Dems?

[maxsolomon]

59. No, Charisma is the only thing that matters.

It is the #1 quality that Americans respond to.

In addition to Newsom, Wes Moore has it.

[themaguffin]

25. The 1992 election was George HW Bush's to lose in in 1991

Gavin is certainly making the case and of course I noted a president above and they are subject to a lot more than a gov or other candidate, but I not this just because a lot can happen in two years.

Gavin putting himself out there, plus leading the prop issue (which was no given to succeed at the beginning) show the style and substance we need, but there's Pritzker and others. We'll see.

[pinkstarburst]

27. I would like to see a Newsom/Buttigieg ticket

[Scrivener7]

28. Whoever the nominee is needs to take lessons from Newsom's PR team. In fact, ALL Democratic

press and PR people need to take lessons from Newsom's PR team.

[uponit7771]

30. Not of he stays a centrist

[elleng]

42. The nation is centrist.

[uponit7771]

44. Nope, issues of the left are more popular link

Kamala Harris’s economic policy slate more popular than Trump’s – poll | US elections 2024 | The Guardian

https://share.google/Kh0yot933wm4bCwu3

[Nixie]

60. Why muddle this. Kamala is a Democrat, therefore "left."

The efforts are clearly to say that “centrists” are not left. So it’s a war on contrived words with shape shifting meanings. There’s no reason to attack good Democrats over this nothing burger.

[leftstreet]

56. How are you defining centrist?

Social issues? Economic?

[Nixie]

32. Agreed! Gavin's new nickname is G-DADDY, lol.

His team is brilliant, as we’ve seen. And so is his wife. She is a huge asset for him and for Democrats.

Hopefully Gavin’s team has also learned to not engage those that still work overtime to split our party. There is another silly effort to pretend “centrists” are to be attacked, but as always there is little substance except transitive connections to fabricated “issues.” Middle-of-the-road average people are the bulk of our party. Not the other way around.

[NNadir]

33. So the "inevitables" have started already?

There's a lot between here and there.

If there is another election, some of us would like to consider a wealth of candidates.

[In It to Win It]

35. For now, but 2.5 years is a long time in politics. He has to keep that momentum going for the next 2.5 years

[EdmondDantes_]

36. 2005 the nomination was definitely going to Clinton in 2008

Nobody anticipated Trump in 2013.

He's definitely not my preferred choice for 2028 of the likely potential primary candidates.

[elleng]

40. A fine public servant, but don't forget

there are others.

[Baitball Blogger]

41. The Primary debates will be interesting.

It's good if his present social team helps with the debate preparation, but the thing he needs to be careful with is that the other Democrats are not Trump. So the smarmy gotchas may come across wrong to the Democratic voters. He just needs to talk straight, informative and sound like he's been in battle longer than everyone else against the MAGAs, and beat them..

[pinkstarburst]

61. I truly hope democrats fix our debate setup before the primaries

and don't have 20 people in the debates, 10 per night, or if we do allow that many to debate, that we divide it up based on polling, maybe with the 12 polling the lowest going the first night, and the 8 polling the highest going the second night. Watching everyone scream over each other last time was ridiculous, and I hated seeing people polling at less than 1% taking cheap soundbite potshots at the frontrunners.

[BluesRunTheGame]

43. ....and we'll spend a solid year talking about the high cost of living in California.

Seems like the wrong direction to me but what do I know? I’ll vote for him if he’s our nominee.

[duckworth969]

45. Newsom & AOC ticket

[msongs]

47. like the guy's brass but he is a tad abrasive...yet so social media savvy. nt

[Blaukraut]

62. Abrasive is what we need

Being polite hasn’t gotten us anywhere in recent years.

[Paladin]

48. Wish I could vote for him, today. (nt)

[hamsterjill]

49. A lot can happen in three years, but if it's Newsom,

I'll be fine with that. He's at least had the courage to go up against the bully.

[Reader Rabbit]

50. That election is more than two years away. Can we focus on our current battles?

I feel like looking all they way ahead to 2028 is very premature.

[ColoringFool]

51. Yes, 2028 Ain't Tomorrow. Yes, Pete, Jon O., Shapiro, Pritzker..

BUT RIGHT NOW, IF I VOTED TODAY?

I'M HAVIN' GAVIN!

AMERICA: READY FOR A NEW(SOM) START!

[radicalleft]

52. In my mind - it's not too early to get the Dems to coalesce

around a candidate and a messaging strategy. Let this person be the face of the party and help us in the midterms. This is what the pukes do and it WORKS. There is no in-fighting, purity balls; they stay on-point and on-message. Show a backbone and GO FIGHT...relentlessly. And if we trip up along the way with a stupid comment, brush it off, don't crucify and then go looking for unicorns. We got one shot to get this right...

[senseandsensibility]

55. I agree with your assessment

including the fact that it is very early and things could change many times over before 2028. Still, he earns a lot of points by finding a way to lead the Dems out of the wilderness. He deserves to be rewarded for that. I also agree that we can not risk nominating a female again. It pains me to say that and I want to scream because it is so unfair. I think, however, that Newsom, if he is the nominee, should choose a woman as VP. I like Lisa Blunt Rochester, but there are many others. Mikey Sherrill would be good too.

[Tribetime]

63. Maybe but tomorrow is never guaranteed on anything