How Gavin Newsom Became the Democrats’ 2028 Frontrunner | The Ezra Klein Show

Gavin Newsom is the 2028 Democratic front-runner. That’s what many of the polls and the Polymarket betting odds say. It’s been widely believed that Newsom wants to run for president someday. But belief that he could be a front-runner was less common. A liberal white guy from a state that much of the country considers badly governed just didn’t seem like the profile the Democratic Party was looking for. But as a Californian who has watched Newsom for a long time, I was surprised by him this year. After President Trump returned to the White House, Newsom started a podcast, interviewing people like Charlie Kirk, Steve Bannon and Michael Savage, which made a lot of Democrats mad. At the same time, Newsom turned himself into the leader of the resistance — trolling Trump on social media and pushing a ballot initiative to end California’s independent redistricting to counter the partisan redistricting effort in Texas. Newsom has been willing to try things and take risks. He has shown a feel for this moment — in politics and in the way attention works now. But it’s still true that he runs a state that the country considers badly governed. California tops the rankings of unaffordable states, at a time when affordability has become a central electoral issue. In this conversation, I ask Newsom about all of this — what he learned this year from talking to figures on the right, how he thinks the Democratic Party can win back voters it lost, why California is so unaffordable and what he’s doing about it. 0:00 Introduction 3:46 Why is California such a hotbed for the American right? 10:56 What Gavin Newsom has learned from interviewing people on the right 21:42 How government can deliver better 30:15 Michael Savage and California’s affordability crisis 42:55 Steve Bannon and California’s progressive tax system 58:20 How Newsom thinks about AI policy 1:05:37 Engaging rural communities 1:11:40 Newsom’s policies for undocumented immigrants 1:16:22 What does it mean to be American? 1:24:42 Building a bigger tent for the Democratic Party 1:29:18 Newsom’s both/and approach to politics 1:46:13 Book recommendations Read the full transcript here: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/op... Watch more on ‪@EzraKleinShow‬ Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected]. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-...