Gov. Gavin Newsom headed to the Central Valley on Thursday to launch his upcoming jobs plan, saying California’s economic power is “cold comfort” for states that feel they are not fully contributing to the state’s muscle production.
The essence of the governor’s announcement was growing. But the set piece — a liberal politician standing in front of heavy machinery, talking about blue-collar jobs in a district that supported President-elect Donald Trump on November 5 — appeared to be a response to the election, when Democrats took power. after critics say they are out of touch with economic issues.
“Some people are talking about, ‘This economy is booming, inflation is going down, unemployment is the lowest in our lifetime. …’ All that may be true, but people don’t feel that way. They feel like the economy doesn’t support it,” Newsom said in an appearance at Fresno Community College, pointing to that gap as a “point of emphasis” in the election.
Newsom touted work at places like the West Fresno campus’ work-study program as a “antidote” to that economic disconnect.
During Trump’s last administration, Newsom burned his national profile by posing as a foil against the then-president. He revisited those controversies in the days following the 2024 election, calling a special session of the Legislature to prepare for a possible Republican-led attack on abortion rights, environmental protections and disaster relief.
The governor echoed some of those notes during questioning Thursday, saying Trump broke the law and “destroyed our progress” the last time he was president.
But Newsom also walked a careful line, noting that he worked more closely with Trump at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic than any other Democratic governor, and saying he didn’t care how his constituents voted.
“I care about Trump supporters. I care about the RFK Jr. fans. I care about Tucker Carlson fans. I care about Charlie Kirk fans. I care about Ben Shapiro fans. I care about all the people,” said Newsom, a Democrat widely seen as a potential contender in the 2028 presidential race.
Hours before he spoke in Fresno, the governor’s political committee, the Campaign for Democracy, sent an email to supporters, seeking feedback on “steps Democrats need to take to recover some of these losses in the next election and beyond.” ”
In an interview with the New York Times, Newsom said that he will soon visit the red counties of Kern and Colusa, which are also in the Central Valley, and that he understands the message sent by voters who are worried about their economic future.
Democratic political strategist Andrew Acosta said Newsom should have taken a cue from mixed results in his 2022 re-election bid.
“To me, there was a message that was sent two years ago when he lost a lot of these places by losing a lot of points to a Republican who didn’t run a lot of races,” Acosta said.
Acosta noted that Newsom’s record was used by supporters of GOP Rep. John Duarte is campaigning against Democratic challenger Adam Gray in the nail-biter Central Valley battle for California’s 13th district, which is too close to call.
The governor seemed well aware Thursday that Californians — regardless of whether they’re leaning in red and listening to “The Ben Shapiro Show” or keeping the radio dial on their Prius listening to NPR — share a common concern: the cost of living in the area. an unusually expensive situation.
A poll conducted in mid-October by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California identified the economy, including jobs and cost of living, as the most pressing issue for state residents.
Those results held across geographic lines, groups and demographics. But residents of the Central Valley had a more pessimistic view of the state’s economy, with more than two-thirds of respondents saying they see bad times ahead in the next year. Central Valley residents were also the least likely to see hope in California’s most remote state, with fewer than one in three saying they think the state is headed in the right direction, according to a Public Policy Institute survey.
Newsom said the seeds of inspiration for his jobs plan were planted when he was lieutenant governor, and he saw how the California dream came true in many places.
“I felt like the coastal parts of the county were doing well, but at the end of the day, there was a different story being told throughout the county,” he said.
The governor released an outline of his upcoming “California Jobs First Economic Blueprint,” which will be released in full early next year.
The San Francisco-born politician has made a habit of visiting California strongholds after major elections.
In 2019, on his first full day in office, Newsom visited the most fire-prone areas of Placer County, a historically red part of Northern California’s Gold Country. And he held a news conference with his wife in Fresno County shortly after winning re-election in 2022.
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