{"id":2418424,"date":"2025-04-01T12:33:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T16:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-reject-newsoms-attempts-to-distance-from-the-party\/"},"modified":"2025-04-01T12:34:44","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T16:34:44","slug":"democrats-reject-newsoms-attempts-to-distance-from-the-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-reject-newsoms-attempts-to-distance-from-the-party\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats reject Newsom&#8217;s attempts to distance from the party"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-reject-newsoms-attempts-to-distance-from-the-party%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2418424&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>California Governor gavin Newsom&#8217;s efforts to rebrand himself amidst his party&#8217;s declining popularity have faced criticism from within the Democratic Party. Following significant losses in the November elections and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-flips-iowa-state-house-seat-held-by-democrats-for-decades\/\" title=\"...ublican Flips Iowa State House Seat Held By ... For Decades\">low approval ratings<\/a>, Newsom launched a podcast aimed at appealing to right-leaning voters and addressing issues where Democrats have struggled. However, his remarks about the &#8220;toxic&#8221; Democratic brand have drawn backlash from party members, including Rep. Ro Khanna and state rep. Sam Liccardo, who argue that such comments undermine the party&#8217;s image and unity.<\/p>\n<p>Newsom&#8217;s moderation attempts were further challenged when he expressed a newly centrist stance on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/conservative-influencer-zuby-identifies-as-woman-as-joke-proceeds-to-smash-weightlifting-record\/\" title=\"Conservative Influencer &quot;Zuby&quot; As a joke, identifies as a woman and proceeds to smash the weightlifting record\">transgender athletes&#8217; participation<\/a> in women&#8217;s sports, diverging from previous party positions.His critics warn that he is attempting to rewrite his record in preparation for a potential presidential run in 2028. Meanwhile, Newsom defends his comments as a genuine reflection of his evolving view and understanding of the critiques regarding the party&#8217;s intolerance.<\/p>\n<p>Newsom&#8217;s outreach efforts have led to a rift within the Democratic Party, blending both tactical maneuvering ahead of future elections and complex internal dynamics about party ideology.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Democrats reject Newsom&rsquo;s attempts to distance from the party&rsquo;s unpopularity<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2079478\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Gavin Newsom<\/a>&rsquo;s (D-CA) attempts to rebrand himself after his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">party<\/a> suffered a brutal defeat in November are meeting stiff opposition from some of his colleagues.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the wake of a red wave that swept the country last November and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/beltway-confidential\/3354284\/democratic-approval-hits-low-infighting-continues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">recent polls showing Democrats&rsquo; <\/a>approval ratings remain underwater, Newsom<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3339603\/five-times-gavin-newsom-bucked-democrats-podcast-premiere\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> launched a podcast<\/a> this year designed to appeal to right-leaning voters and address issues his party lost on during the 2024 elections.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3365556\/venezuelans-supreme-court-trump-limitless-deportation-power\/\">Venezuelans tell Supreme Court not to hand Trump &lsquo;limitless&rsquo; deportation power<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3365513\/judge-trump-cia-odni-dei-workers-payroll\/\">Judge orders Trump administration to keep CIA, ODNI DEI workers on payroll<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3365359\/anna-paulina-luna-proxy-voting-battle-hits-house-floor\/\">Luna&#8217;s proxy voting battle hits House floor with GOP divided<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>But the governor&rsquo;s effort to moderate himself has been met with often hostile reactions from his own party, with Democratic lawmakers such as Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and California state Rep. Sam Liccardo crying foul <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3363332\/newsom-toxic-democrat-brand-low-favorability-rating\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">after Newsom&rsquo;s latest comments<\/a> on the &ldquo;toxic&rdquo; Democratic brand.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With respect, [Gavin Newsom], the Democratic party is not &lsquo;toxic.&rsquo; This is not the time to join the chorus in bashing our party. The rage should be about what Trump is doing TODAY. Let&rsquo;s share what our party has done &amp; offer a forward vision for the future,&rdquo; Khanna <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RoKhanna\/status\/1906025826296197448\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">wrote<\/a> in a post to X.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Liccardo<strong> <\/strong>similarly<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/sliccardo\/status\/1905999531734683742\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> slammed<\/a> Newsom, saying that the governor&rsquo;s &ldquo;calling the Democratic brand &lsquo;toxic&rsquo; resembles the defendant who pleads for a judge&rsquo;s mercy as an &lsquo;orphan&rsquo; after killing his parents.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I should know: [Gavin Newsom]&#8297; &amp; CA Dem Party endorsed my opponent last year&hellip;and I won by double digits,&rdquo; the state representative added.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>His anger comes after Newsom made an appearance on <em>Real Time with Bill Maher <\/em>on Friday, during which he suggested Republicans have gained momentum because &ldquo;the Democratic brand is toxic right now.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These guys are crushing us,&rdquo; the governor said. &ldquo;The Democratic brand is toxic right now&hellip; it&rsquo;s one thing to make noise but you also have to make sense, and with this podcast and having the opportunity to dialogue with people I disagree with, it&rsquo;s an opportunity to try to find common ground and not take cheap shots.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>This isn&rsquo;t the first time Newsom, who is widely seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender, has come under fire as he seeks to distance himself from some of Democrats&rsquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3236176\/democrats-feud-kamala-harris-silence-transgender-rights-campaign-ad\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">more unpopular positions<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, debate sparked when the governor<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3340146\/california-democrats-newsom-transgender-sports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> broke with his party<\/a> on whether biological males should participate in women&rsquo;s sports, marking a reversal from his prior positioning on transgender athletes. Newsom&rsquo;s administration<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3362666\/gavin-newsom-administration-youth-transgenderism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> spent roughly $5 million<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">programs supporting youth transgenderism<\/a> between 2022 and 2024, according to an analysis by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California Gov. Gavin Newsom announces &ldquo;Vogue World: Hollywood,&rdquo; a fashion event that celebrates the conversation between film and fashion scheduled for October 2025, at a news conference at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>California Democrats, including state Sen. Scott Wiener, called Newsom&rsquo;s comments &ldquo;devastating and depressing.&rdquo; The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus reacted to the news by releasing a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/calgbt\/status\/1897700740262682674\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">statement<\/a> saying they were &ldquo;profoundly sickened and frustrated&rdquo; by Newsom&rsquo;s &ldquo;anti-transgender&rdquo; stance.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Sometimes Gavin Newsom goes for the Profile in Courage, sometimes not,&rdquo; Assemblymember Chris Ward and state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, the caucus&rsquo;s respective chairman and vice chairwoman, wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We woke up profoundly sickened and frustrated by these remarks. All students deserve the academic and health benefits of sports activity and until Donald Trump began obsessing about it, playing on a team consistent with one&rsquo;s gender has not been a problem since the standard was passed in 2013,&rdquo; the pair continued.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It was during a podcast episode with guest and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-start-gaming-out-2028-election-weeks-into-trumps-second-term-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"... start gaming out 2028 election weeks into ...\u2019s second term - Washington Examiner\">conservative media personality&#038;nbsp<\/a>;Charlie Kirk that Newsom revealed his newly centrist position on transgender sports, with his comments coming after Democrats&rsquo; stance on transgender policy turned out to be a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3222545\/numbers-behind-trump-victory\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> critical weakness <\/a>during the 2024 presidential election. <\/p>\n<p>Following his appearance on the podcast, Kirk<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3346590\/charlie-kirk-warns-gop-watch-out-calculated-newsom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> warned Republicans<\/a> that Newsom is a wolf in sheep&rsquo;s clothing who is attempting to hide his true colors ahead of a possible presidential run. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;One thing I learned in my podcast experience: The governor isn&rsquo;t a joke. He has a shark&rsquo;s instincts and is hoping that voters will have a goldfish&rsquo;s memory,&rdquo; Kirk wrote in an op-ed. &ldquo;He knows his current record can&rsquo;t win him the White House, and so he&rsquo;s trying to rewrite what that record is. The conservatives he speaks with in the weeks to come shouldn&rsquo;t let him.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, Newsom has defended his comments on transgender sports from criticism, saying his positioning &ldquo;wasn&rsquo;t some grand design.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He&rsquo;s &ldquo;been struggling&rdquo; with biological males participating in female sports &ldquo;for some time,&rdquo; the governor told the<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2025-04-01\/newsom-says-his-comments-about-trans-athletes-werent-some-grand-design\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">  Los Angeles Times<\/a><\/em>  during a recent interview. &rdquo;I mean, we&rsquo;ve been exploring this for a couple years quietly behind the scenes, and we &hellip; couldn&rsquo;t land,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3346590\/charlie-kirk-warns-gop-watch-out-calculated-newsom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">CHARLIE KIRK WARNS GOP ABOUT &lsquo;CALCULATED&rsquo; NEWSOM AFTER PODCAST APPEARANCE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Newsom said that the &ldquo;judgment&rdquo; from the Left has made him &ldquo;actually start to believe the critique from the Right a little bit more&rdquo; about Democratic intolerance. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I always thought the right overstated how judgmental my party was, and I&rsquo;ll be candid with you, I have a deeper understanding now of that critique than I ever, ever, ever understood,&rdquo; he continued. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2079478\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2079478\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats oppose Newsom&#8217;s efforts to distance himself from party unpopularity<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2418425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Gavin-Newsom-February-2025.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[37666,3685,3678,35042,32504],"class_list":["post-2418424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-california-politics","tag-democrats","tag-newsom","tag-party-unity","tag-political-strategy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Gavin-Newsom-February-2025.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2418424"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2418428,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418424\/revisions\/2418428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2418425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2418424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2418424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2418424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}