This past week, a study tried to argue that Governor Gavin Newsom is a moderate and, furthermore, one of the most moderate elected Democrats currently in Sacramento. Looking at Governor Newsom’s responses to the 1,042 bills that have come across his desk, the study titles Governor Newsom as a conservative Democrat.
The claim that Governor Newsom is a moderate or conservative Democrat is so absurd that it’s comical. Looking firstly at the policies Governor Newsom has responded to, the claim is immediately invalidated. In this past year, Governor Newsom has approved far-left bills such as mandated abortion pills on college campuses, stricter regulations on charter schools, and effectively abolishing contractor and freelance work.
Most notably, Governor Newsom structured his whole campaign on a progressive favored topic: a single-payer health insurance system for California. Lastly, Newsom has responded to environmental bills solely on the basis of fueling his personal vendetta against President Trump. The culmination of all his responses illuminates the opposite behavior of a moderate.
Secondly, the graph used to supplement the argument was represented inaccurately. The study claims that Governor Newsom is a moderate, indicating proximity to the center of the spectrum. However, if examined, Governor Newsom is nowhere near the center and, in fact, quite close to his fellow Democrats in the State Assembly.
The proximity to other Democrats further invalidates the claim given that California Democrats are notoriously known for being left-wing radicals. Moreover, the first graph of the study neglected the impact of “no vote recorded” instances. Yet, the study dug its own grave when it included the graph accounting for the impact: the result was Governor Newsom being pushed further left and grouped further in with his fellow radical Democratic colleagues.
If anything, Governor Newsom might be one of the most far-left Democrats the Capitol has seen. Newsom has yet to display any moderate tendencies and based on his current trajectory, he will never do so. California Republicans will not be shocked by the results, as the study claims. If anything, it will give them a good laugh.
