(ImpactHeadlines.com) – Remember Gavin Newsom’s shadow presidential campaign through the Democratic primary? Well, while Newsom may be closer than ever to having a chance to replace President Joe Biden as the party’s presidential nominee, not everyone thinks that he’s on a clear course for victory.
On top of President Joe Biden’s repeated promises to stay in the race, some experts think that Newsom’s performance as the governor of California could prove to be the Achilles Heel in his plans.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, the president of the California Policy Center, William Swaim, said that Newsom’s popularity in his own state is starting to wane. Swaim noted that California residents, including Democrats who backed Newsom in previous elections, are beginning to believe that the state is “headed in the wrong direction.”
Swaim also noted that amidst his shadow campaign – which has seen Newsom visiting Red states during the primary period – hasn’t captured the attention or the enthusiasm of the party as a whole. According to Swaim, Newsom is still only seen as a Biden surrogate, and not much else.
“Newsom brings nothing to a national ticket,” the California policy expert said.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Newsome is becoming less popular, either. In January, a poll by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found that 47% of registered voters in Newsom’s state disapproved of his leadership, with 46% approving. It was a slight increase over October, which showed 44% approval of Newsom, but substantially lower than his 64% approval rating from 2020.
Newsom’s debate with then-Republican presidential contender Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also didn’t seem to move Newsom’s popularity much. Though the two drew a huge audience for their debate – largely seen as a pre-presidential debate between two possible candidates for their debates – the debate has since faded from the public’s memory.
That being said, Swaim told Fox News that even with a struggling approval rating, California is likely to swing for the Democrats regardless of whether Joe Biden remains as the party’s candidate or Newsom replaces him at the Democratic National Convention.
And when asked about the possibility of an open convention for the Democrats, Newsom still has nothing to say.
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