Gavin Newsom knows the popular image of him is of a smooth talker with slicked-back hair, the wealthy liberal who co-owns a vineyard.
He knows, regarding the presidential ambitions he’s hardly hiding, that the biggest question he would face out of the gate is whether he could sell Americans on wanting California to represent their future rather than seeing it as the place where the wackiest liberal dreams go to run wild.
The redistricting fight that Newsom and the state legislature are launching Monday could, he and his inner circle believe, give him all the rebuttals he needs.
I’ve agreed a lot with Newsom over the years and I’ve disagreed with him just as much. At this moment, I would say he’s got the right intentions to do good here. He would not be my personal primary choice, but he would at least would be willing to press states for better standards and would help stand against corruption. In California he’s at least pushing for the state to use more electric vehicles.
If he were to eliminate or seriously curb gerrymandering, I’d be incredibly grateful.
He’s definitely not my first choice either, but I like his brutal mockery of Trump and his willingness to fight dirty. I think that’s sorely needed right now.