In abstract
In 2023, Gavin Newsom positioned himself greater than ever as a nationwide – and even worldwide – political determine.
In his second and remaining time period as governor of California, Gavin Newsom turned his focus past the state this 12 months and positioned himself greater than ever as a nationwide – and even worldwide – political determine.
Newsom embraced the function of Democratic assault canine with glee, recurrently peppering his public statements with criticism of conservative efforts to roll again civil rights. He supplied his administration as a liberal bulwark towards “right-wing regression” — at the same time as he opposed a number of high-profile efforts to develop protections for marginalized communities in California — and took his present on the highway: to endorse Democrats in purple states on a spring tour, to the spin room of a Republican presidential main debate in September and to debate Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, on nationwide tv in November.
His political platform seems rigorously crafted to attraction to progressive voters in a future presidential race, one thing Newsom stays tired of. Over the summer time, the governor launched a marketing campaign so as to add gun management to the U.S. Structure, regardless of slim odds of success and opposition from even some Democratic allies.
Whereas he doesn't all the time go so far as environmentalists would really like, his help for anti-oil laws and renewable power improvement has made him a local weather activist. He boosted his profile additional this fall when he grew to become the one U.S. consultant to talk at a United Nations local weather summit in September and promoted cooperation on local weather change throughout a week-long tour of China in October.
And Newsom continues to take steps to handle his largest political legal responsibility: California's extreme homelessness disaster. When his new psychological well being court docket program lastly rolled out in latest months, the governor pushed one other sweeping reform by way of the Legislature. The aim is to make it simpler to get individuals with severe psychological sickness — who make up a small however extremely seen portion of the state's homeless inhabitants — off the streets and into therapy.
Necessary subjects for 2024: The governor's political capital will probably be examined early subsequent 12 months as he tries to steer voters to move a invoice within the March 5 main election. It might fund extra psychological well being therapy beds and assisted dwelling for the homeless, together with by diverting cash from a tax on psychological well being providers for millionaires. Newsom may additionally face California's sluggish financial system. With tax revenues coming in decrease than anticipated, the state's funds deficit is simply anticipated to develop subsequent 12 months, stalling the governor's priorities and forcing him to make tough choices about program cuts.
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