Gov. Gavin Newsom faces progressive backlash over conservative podcast guests
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California progressives think Gov. Gavin Newsom’s courting of conservatives on his podcast is a “hard swallow” as speculation mounts that he will run for president in 2028.
A progressive from the state said that although Newsom has made several policy decisions that irked the left, it was more a matter of the governor’s “political preferences.”
“The bigger issues have to do with Kirk, Bannon, and political choices like interviewing Bannon. [Ben] Shapiro” said Elizabeth AshfordA communications consultant based in California. Ashford previously served as Kamala Harris’ chief of staff, while the former vice president was California’s attorney general.
“No matter how it’s framed, it’s legitimizing for a sitting governor to give these guys air time,” he said. “For progressives, choices like this are a tough one to swallow.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has faced an uphill battle trying to balance representing both progressives and centrists as he tries to brand himself as a centrist, moving away from typical California progressives. (Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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In an episode of the “This is Gavin Newsom” podcast released Jan. 15, Newsom agreed with Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro that transgender issues are one of the most important issues for the Democratic Party.
In a March 2025 interview with Charlie Kirk, Newsom said biological males in women’s sports were a matter of fairness. “extremely unfair“
Ashford is one of the few progressives in California who spoke to The Hill about Newsom’s potential presidential campaign.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom and conservative commentator Ben Shapiro talk while sitting during a podcast conversation. (“This is Gavin Newsom”)
“Newsom is in a bad spot in some ways because he has to deal with the burden of being perceived as a leftist who is far from California, but he doesn’t quite understand the other side of the equation of getting full grassroots support,” a Democratic strategist told The Hill.
“She is adored by the MSNBC wine mom crowd for her Trump trolling, but once the actual primary kicks into high gear, primary voters will quickly learn about her record and policies that have disappointed many people and groups in California,” the strategist added.
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“Newsom has disappointed and sometimes angered some of his domestic progressive base on issues ranging from workers’ rights to his support for broad housing deregulation,” Hill said.
California progressives think it’s a “hard swallow” for Gov. Gavin Newsom to court conservatives on his podcast while he’s running for president in 2028. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images; Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
While progressives across the state share concerns about Newsom’s policies, Ashford said the backlash is specific to governors enacting legislation.
“Sure, progressives have been upset with some of his policy choices, like cutting environmental reviews for housing construction and increasing smash-and-grab penalties. But those are normal things for governors,” Ashford said. he said. “You can never make everyone happy with the law, and you shouldn’t do that.”
Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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