In a recent analysis, a host on MS NOW suggested that California Governor Gavin Newsom may encounter challenges similar to those faced by Hillary Clinton if he decides to pursue a bid for the presidency in the 2028 election.
During an interview in October, Newsom, who is 58, hinted at his presidential aspirations. When asked about the possibility of running for the White House, he candidly admitted, “Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise. I’d just be lying. And I can’t do that.”
Since revealing his interest, Newsom has remained a notable figure in the media landscape. He has kept the public’s attention through his podcast and frequent critiques of former President Donald Trump, maintaining his visibility and influence.
Although Newsom recently mentioned that his family remains undecided about his potential candidacy, he continues to be regarded as a leading contender for the upcoming presidential race.
However, Chris Hayes, the MS NOW host, foresees a potential hurdle for Newsom. He predicts that Newsom could confront the same difficulties that plagued Clinton during her 2016 campaign, when she ultimately lost to Trump.
But MS NOW host Chris Hayes predicts the well-known politician is going to run into the exact same problem as Clinton in 2016 when she lost to Trump.
‘I think Newsom has the Hillary Clinton problem, which is that Hillary Clinton was perceived outside of the Democratic Party and Democratic coalition as the ultimate lib, the libiest lib who ever lived, and was never actually like that much of a lib,’ he told The New York Times’ Ross Douthat on his podcast Interesting Times.
‘And that’s like the worst uncanny valley for a Democratic politician to be in, where the base doesn’t trust you because you don’t have a kind of organic relationship with the left parts of the party. And then the swing voter just thinks like: “That’s a lib.”‘
Governor Gavin Newsom has hinted at a 2028 presidential run, but MS NOW’s Chris Hayes predicts Newsom will run into the same problems Hillary Clinton ran into in 2016
Hayes said Clinton was viewed as very liberal outside of the Democratic party, but she more centralist, and same with Newsom. ‘The swing voter just thinks like: “That’s a lib,”‘ he said
Hayes believes Newsom has the ‘opposite set of factors,’ as the Democrat has made a point to engage with Republican and conservative voices, such as the late Charlie Kirk on his podcast This is Gavin Newsom.
While Newsom has had liberal voices on his podcast as well, such as former President Bill Clinton and Governor JB Pritzker, he also hosted Steve Bannon and Ben Shapiro.
‘He has made very clear attempts to show that he’s bipartisan, centrist, independent,’ Hayes criticized.
‘Also, the governor of California is a tough place to get the next Democratic nominee from.’
Douthat also pointed out that Newsom has only won races where voters were predominantly Democratic and doesn’t have the same experience swinging conservative and independent voters.
Hayes said Newsom has to be able to talk to swing voters and grab attention to be a major contender in the race.
‘And the nightmare scenario in a Democratic primary is someone who’s bad at the former and good at the latter,’ he told Douthat.
Since Trump returned to office, Newsom and his press office have been hard on his tail, mocking him on social media and calling him out at press conferences and in interviews.
Clinton lost to Donald Trump in 2016 election. Hayes said Newsom will have to master getting attention and swaying swing voters
Newsom has established himself as a notable voice in the party, but the two journalists wondered about the extent of his reach.
It seems Newsom’s ambitions might also be a hard sell for his family.
The governor recently told CNN that his son sent him a headline that suggested he was preparing to run for president and asked if it was true.
‘I said: “No, I will do this as a family,” Newsom shared.
His son then reportedly replied: ‘You can’t,’ adding, ‘I’m too young. You need to spend more time with us.’
‘How do you deal with that one?’ Newsom said. ‘I’m busted.’
When asked whether his family wanted him to run for president, Newsom acknowledged: ‘It depends on the day.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Newsom’s office for comment.
