Gavin Newsom can’t wait to jump into the presidential race

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has played the part of the ever-loyal surrogate following Joe Biden’s debate disaster. “We gotta have the back of this president,” Newsom told MSNBC’s Alex Wagner in the spin room following the Atlanta debate. “You don’t turn your back because of one performance. What kind of party does that?”

He even went so far as to campaign for Biden in Michigan, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania last week. “I believe in this man,” Newsom said in Michigan. “I believe in his character. I believe that he has been one of the most transformative presidents in our collective lifetime.”

Despite Newsom’s claims to support Biden’s continued candidacy, Newsom’s tactics and political record suggest that he is salivating at the chance of securing the Democratic nomination.

Newsom’s overwhelming desire to replace Biden as the Democratic nominee is no surprise. All he cares about is power.

Newsom should continue supporting Biden to position himself for the Democratic ticket. If Biden steps down and Jill Biden lets go of her power, having the president’s support will be key to winning the nomination. Biden, a notoriously proud man who avoids criticism, will not endorse a candidate who did not stand by him until the end.

Newsom’s tactics continue the strategy he has used for the past two years: denying any intention to replace Joe Biden on the 2024 ticket while doing everything possible to position himself for that opportunity.

For example, last year Newsom toured Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, and Mississippi to promote his vision of total progressivism nationwide. At the New College of Florida, the media asked if this national effort meant he would seek the presidency in 2024. Newsom denied it, saying, “I want to meet the moment. I want to be able to look my kids in the eye and say I did everything I could and put it all out in the field.”

In addition to his red-state tour, Newsom has made his presidential ambitions clear through his debate with then-candidate Ron DeSantis, Fox News appearances, nationally focused super PAC, international tours, and a proposed 28th Amendment to the Constitution.

Few believe Newsom’s claims that he is not seeking the presidency. In November 2023, when Newsom’s political godfather, Willie Brown, was asked whether Newsom wanted to be president, he said, “There is no way in the world that anybody who has ever met him would answer that question any differently than ‘He would like already to be president.’” The New York Times reported last year that Newsom is “waiting by the sidelines on the off chance that Mr. Biden ends up not running in 2024.”

For a while, Newsom’s national efforts angered Biden’s campaign. Campaign officials believed he was not sufficiently rebuffing speculation that he would challenge the president for the nomination. Only after repeatedly disavowing any presidential ambitions and supporting the president — campaigning for him, fundraising for him, and vouching for him on cable news — did Newsom earn the Biden campaign’s trust, and he became Biden’s leading surrogate. His role culminated when he was dispatched to Atlanta as the president’s foremost defender in the debate spin room. This positioned Newsom to be waiting in the wings when Biden’s campaign faltered so publicly.

This moment of total Democratic panic over Biden’s age is not only what Newsom has been waiting and hoping for over the past two years. It is the culmination of his lifelong ambitions.

As I detail in my book, “ Newsom Unleashed: The Progressive Lust for Unbridled Power,” Newsom has demonstrated throughout his entire political career that all he cares about is climbing the next rung of the political ladder.

He has been transparent about his ambitions from the start. In 1998, when he was an unelected member of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, he said, “If you’re in politics and you want to make an impact, you should be as successful as possible, and the most influential position is president.”

When Newsom was preparing to run for mayor of San Francisco, he was so focused on his campaign that he neglected to spend time with his dying mother. When she called him to tell him she had decided to die by assisted suicide, he was so busy that her call went to voicemail.

After Newsom became mayor of San Francisco, he neglected the city's day-to-day operations to position himself for the governorship. This move caused his progressive colleagues to turn against him. Aaron Peskin, a member of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, told the Los Angeles Times: “Part of the role of mayor is to be a star. … He’s certainly fulfilled that role, to be glamorous, to keep the city’s name in the minds of tourists and residents as a first-class city. … In terms of being the chief executive officer, keeping his hands on the levers of power, holding department heads accountable, he’s been less successful.”

As lieutenant governor, Newsom focused on climbing the political ladder instead of governing. While filming his TV program, “The Gavin Newsom Show,” he was asked how much time he spent in Sacramento. “Like one day a week, tops,” he replied. “There’s no reason.” He then complained that his elected office was “just so dull.” With an exasperated sigh, he added, “Sadly, I just, ugh, God.”

One month after beginning his second term as lieutenant governor, Newsom announced he would form an exploratory committee to run for governor. Newsom’s overwhelming desire to replace Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee is no surprise. All he cares about is power.

What remains to be seen is whether, should Biden step aside, Newsom’s efforts to ingratiate himself with the Biden campaign and position himself nationally will be enough to win him the nomination against a host of candidates with the sex and race Democrats prefer.