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By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a> and our Privacy Policy<\/a>. <\/p>\n SACRAMENTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0One takeaway from last week\u2019s elections: The role model for California Gov. Gavin Newsom as he runs for president should be New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.<\/a> <\/p>\n Actually, Mamdani should be emulated not only by Newsom but by Democrats running for office anywhere.<\/p>\n Neither Newsom, of course, nor any candidate outside the most leftist burgs in America should wear the label \u201cdemocratic socialist,\u201d<\/a> as Mamdani calls himself. That would frighten too many voters.<\/p>\n But what does appeal to voters \u2014 and always has in America \u2014 is a strong, positive message of hope. People like to think that a candidate understands their daily troubles and has a vision of how to make their lives better.<\/p>\n Mamdani is a 34-year-old Ugandan-born Muslim of Indian descent and a back-bench New York state assemblyman who the political experts would never figure to win a top-tier elective post such as New York mayor. But he has charisma, exudes authenticity and fills voters with hope.<\/p>\n OK, some of his campaign promises are undeliverable, even in liberal New York: free bus service, free child care and city-run grocery stores. But I suspect many voters didn\u2019t take those pledges literally. It was the boldness and commitment to change for their betterment that drew people to him.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a message framework that has been a winner throughout history.<\/p>\n Franklin D. Roosevelt promised \u201ca new deal for the American people\u201d and gave them hope with his radio fireside chats during the Great Depression.<\/p>\n John F. Kennedy offered a \u201cnew frontier.\u201d Barack Obama chanted, \u201cYes we can\u201d and ran on a slogan of \u201chope.\u201d<\/p>\n They were all Democrats. But Republican founder Abraham Lincoln urged Americans to \u201cvote yourself a farm and horses\u201d and promised them homesteads on the western frontier.<\/p>\n Ronald Reagan declared: \u201cLet\u2019s make America great again.\u201d Then Donald Trump stole the line and ruined it for any future candidate.<\/p>\n Newsom\u2019s spiel has mostly been that Trump is lower than a worm.<\/a> That has worked up until now. He has established himself as the Democrats\u2019 most aggressive combatant against Trumpism \u2014 and the leader in early polling for the party\u2019s 2028 presidential nomination.<\/p>\n Last week, his national party credentials were bolstered after orchestrating landslide voter approval of Proposition 50,<\/a> aimed at countering Trump-coerced congressional redistricting in Texas and other red states.<\/p>\n Trump is desperate for the GOP to retain its narrow majority in the House of Representatives during next year\u2019s midterm elections. But Proposition 50 gerrymandering could flip five California seats from Republican to Democrat \u2014 perhaps helping Democrats capture House control. Newsom becomes a party hero.<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s now a serious front-runner for the Democratic nomination,\u201d says Bob Shrum, a former Democratic consultant who is director of the Center for the Political Future at USC.<\/p>\n Political strategist Mike Murphy, a former Republican turned independent, says \u201cthe Democratic presidential race in \u201825 has been won by Gavin Newsom. He made a bet [on Proposition 50] and it paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n But Shrum, Murphy and other veteran politicos agree that Newsom at some point must change his script from predominantly anti-Trump to an appealing agenda for the future.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has to have an affordability message, for one,\u201d Shrum says. \u201cAnd he has to connect with voters. Voters just don\u2019t go down a list of issues. FDR, JFK, Obama, they all were very connected with voters.\u201d<\/p>\n Murphy: \u201cHe\u2019s going to have to expand from fighting Trump to talking about his vision for helping the middle class. I\u2019d say, \u2018The era of Trump will soon be over. I have a way to bring back the American dream and here\u2019s how I\u2019m going to do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Easier said than done, especially if you\u2019re the governor of troubled California.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s about a referendum on California, he has a vulnerability,\u201d Murphy says. \u201cHe can\u2019t run on \u2018California is great.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Newsom consistently brags that California is a pacesetter for the nation. But lots of Americans want nothing to do with our pacesetting.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t have the highest unemployment, highest gas prices and the biggest homeless problem and tell Americans that everything in California is hunky-dory,\u201d says Republican consultant Rob Stutzman. \u201cBecause voters don\u2019t believe that.\u201d<\/p>\n But Democratic consultant Bill Carrick, a South Carolina native, dismisses the effect of anti-California attitudes in Democratic presidential primaries.<\/p>\n \u201cThe notion that he can\u2019t win in the South and border states, that\u2019s nonsense,\u201d Carrick says. \u201cPeople who say that are Republicans. They don\u2019t like Newsom or any other Democrat. People who vote in primaries are hardcore Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n But Carrick acknowledges that an anti-California bias could hurt Newsom in some states during a general election.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s another takeaway from the elections: The Democratic Party is not in the toilet as far as it has been soul-searching since last November\u2019s presidential election.<\/p>\n Last week, Democrats won everything from local commissioner to governor in much of the country. It confirmed my belief that the party\u2019s chief problem in 2024 was a lousy presidential effort.<\/p>\n President Biden didn\u2019t withdraw early enough for the party to hold primaries that would have allowed its nominee to build wide support. And Kamala Harris simply lacked appeal and didn\u2019t inspire.<\/p>\n Democratic voter enthusiasm was contagious this time.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was one of the most exciting ground operations I\u2019ve seen in a long time for 50,\u201d says Democratic strategist Gale Kaufman. \u201cLocal party clubs, activists, union members all came together.\u201d<\/p>\n Democrats can thank Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cVoters really don\u2019t trust Democrats but they\u2018re so angry with Trump it doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d says Dan Schnur, a political science instructor at USC and UC Berkeley.<\/p>\n Final takeaway: Trump has morphed into a Republican albatross.<\/p>\n What else you should be reading<\/p>\n The must-read: After outburst, Katie Porter\u2019s support in the California governor\u2019s race slips, new poll shows<\/a> Until next week, \u2014
The TK: Proposition 50 is a short-term victory against Trump. But at what cost?<\/a>
The L.A. Times Special: Taking inspiration from Mamdani, democratic socialists look to expand their power in L.A.<\/a> <\/p>\n
George Skelton<\/p>\n
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