(FOX40.COM) — As speculation swirls over a potential presidential run, Gavin Newsom is set to spend $19 million on a marketing campaign to clean up California’s brand.

The California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development is looking for bids on the plan, according to new documents — including a request for proposal updated Wednesday. One of the public relation’s campaign’s top goals is to “dispel myths driven by misinformation and political rhetoric.”

Designed to “inspire trust and enthusiasm” among influencers, investors, elected officials and other national and regional leaders, the proposed project is expected to include website design, digital content, videos and both earned and paid media strategies.

“Some look at this state and try to tear down our progress,” the request for proposal states. “They attack our values and caricature our culture. They distort the data to diminish our accomplishments.”

The “California Brand Campaign,” first reported by the Los Angeles Times, opened bidding Feb. 24.  The deadline for submissions is March 13 and the contract is anticipated to be announced April 6.

In total, the $19 million campaign will last nine months; a document states that “major campaign deliverables and creative content” should be completed by the end of the year — which coincides with the end of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s final term as governor.

As much as $14 million of the contract is designated for paid media placements, including paid influencers.

State Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, described the planned campaign as “putting lipstick on a pig.”

“Californians are still facing soaring homelessness, rising crime and public safety concerns, and a high-speed rail project that has burned through billions with little to show, while critical upgrades like Next Generation 911 lag despite nearly $500 million spent,” he said in a statement. “Now, Sacramento is spending $19 million on a marketing campaign to polish the governor’s image — money that won’t change the reality Californians see every day.”

Democratic political strategist Steve Maviglio said it’s unfortunate that Newsom, in his view, is funding his national political ambitions on the taxpayer’s dime.

“The contract’s being rushed through,” he said in an interview. “It only lasts till he’s out as governor of California, till the end of the year. 75% of it is going to media buys. That just says all you need to know about this. It’s not so much about helping California businesses, it’s about trying to prop up Newsom’s unfavorability as he runs around the country.”

The governor’s office did not comment directly to criticism of the perceived ties to Newsom’s presidential ambitions. In an emailed statement, Chief Deputy Communications Director Tara Gallegos said “setting the record straight” will benefit California residents, workers and businesses.

“California and its business climate have been falsely and maliciously maligned for years, and the state has a right to tell the true story— California is a great place to live, work, invest and visit,” she said. “We lead the country in Fortune 500 companies and new business starts. We draw more visitors than any other state, and we lead the world in innovation and imagination.”

California’s economic strength is “obscured by negative narratives amplified online and in partisan media,” the request for proposal states. Maviglio said he agrees that the state — and by extension, its governor — does have an image problem.

“The first thing they think and see are reels of people on the streets, homelessness, unaffordable houses, people leaving the state,” he said. “And the governor’s office wants to push back on that because they know it will hurt his future ambition.”

In the long term, Maviglio doesn’t expect a $19 million ad campaign to make a dent in that public perception.

“But for the short term — and that’s what the governor is interested in — it helps him,” he said. “Because he’s getting assaulted when he goes on national TV shows about the state of California’s economy.”

In addition to pushing back on what the administration describes as misinformation about the Golden State, the brand campaign has half a dozen other goals, including highlighting the state’s “economic dominance,” showcasing businesses, promoting tourism and emphasizing the state’s “natural beauty.”

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