California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is trying to help Democrats win close congressional races in the rural Central Valley by staying away, knowing that his presence is deeply resented by residents who dislike his liberal policies.
The Golden State is not a presidential election battleground, but could determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is currently extremely close. Democrats won seven California seats in the 2018 midterm elections, mainly in Orange County and the Central Valley, that had been held by Republicans but where Hillary Clinton had won the presidential vote. Republicans won four of those seats back in 2020 and held them in 2022.
The Sacramento Bee reported Tuesday that Newsom’s strategy is to be as invisible as possible until November 5th:
Gov. Gavin Newsom hit the campaign trail across the country to help Vice President Kamala Harris in her presidential race last week, but he hasn’t been seen campaigning with the Democrats in crucial Central Valley House races since March.
The last time Newsom campaigned side-by-side with former Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, in California’s 22nd Congressional District was before the March primary. Newsom has not campaigned with former Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, in California’s 13th Congressional District this year at all.
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Republican gubernatorial candidate state Sen. Brian Dahle, R-Bieber, beat Newsom by more than 8 percentage points in the 13th in 2022. Duarte carried the district by four-tenths of a percentage point that year. Valadao defeated Salas by 3 percentage points in 2022. Dahle beat Newsom in the 22nd by a little over 4 percentage points.
In September, Californians were evenly divided over Newsom, with a Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll showing that 49% of adults approved of Newsom, with 48% disapproving (his approval was slightly higher among likely voters, at 51%). In the Central Valley, however, 57% of likely voters disapproved of Newsom. The reasons vary, but they include Newsom’s coronavirus restrictions, transgender policies, and his support for raising gas taxes.
In addition to the races in the 13th and 22nd districts, according to the Cook Political Report, Republicans face “toss-up” races in the 27th (Mike Garcia), 41st (Ken Calvert), and 45th (Michelle Steel), all seats in Southern California. Five other races are listed as competitive; there are no Democratic “toss-ups.” Former President Trump held a large campaign rally in the Coachella Valley earlier this month partly to help Calvert, Steel, and Garcia defend their seats.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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