# I don’t grok the Newsom dislike among engaged Democrats **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 19, 2026, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980 "2026-10-19T21:35:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/141 "2026-10-22T16:30:12Z")
[strictly for background and context] I was born in California and have lived in California all my life. I have voted in every election since I became old enough, and have been involved in politics - mostly at the local level on a volunteer basis - for many of those elections. I am on a first-name basis with a member of congress, and have been a personal guest of his at three of his homes in California over the years. All this to say I pay attention to California politics way more than most people (not that I’m claiming that WRT the Dopers posting here, though). I voted for Gavin Newsom for governor twice. I will not vote for him in a presidential primary, but if he wins the primary, I will vote for him for president. The French Laundry thing was problematic, but that’s not the disqualifier IMO. Neither is his mercurial stance on LGBTQ issues. I think he gets most of them right, but a few of them (trans athletes, for instance) wrong. For me, the sole issue on which I judge Gavin Newsom is his fight to complete the Delta Conveyance, a plan to move a LOT of water from Northern California to Southern California, imperiling water quality in the San Joaquin/Sacramento River Delta water system. Water is a problem in California. We fight over it. Gavin Newsom has got it wrong on this issue, as did Brown before him. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/142 "2026-10-22T16:33:36Z")
I really love how, for some, my potential dislike of individual politicians or our slide into a corporate-controlled dystopia can only be explained by my being taken in by some sort misinformation campaign perpetrated by nefarious actors. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/143 "2026-10-22T16:42:08Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Must be the Silent Majority, I guess. Or I’ve fallen prey to confirmation bias. I can think of two posters (I’m sure there’s more) who are unabashed fans, and countless detractors. There’s a lot of low-grade dislike of Newsom, but very few Democrats who say they’ll never vote for him. We’re not a party that takes marching orders, and instead grumble the whole way to the voting booth. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/144 "2026-10-22T16:46:41Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > our slide into a corporate-controlled dystopia can only be explained by my being taken in by some sort misinformation campaign perpetrated by nefarious actors. Indeed, the idea that we are sliding into a “corporate-controlled dystopia” is exactly the kind of populist rhetoric that our geopolitical enemies would love our citizenry to believe. It’s part of the “Firehouse of Falsehood” propaganda strategy employed by actors like Russia. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/145 "2026-10-22T17:37:25Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > There’s a lot of low-grade dislike of Newsom, but very few Democrats who say they’ll never vote for him. We’re not a party that takes marching orders, and instead grumble the whole way to the voting booth. You make a good point. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/146 "2026-10-22T18:34:14Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > Water is a problem in California. We fight over it. Gavin Newsom has got it wrong on this issue, as did Brown before him. Fully agreed. He is also still pushing that damn boondoggle of a bullet train, another thing Jerry Brown got wrong. And I though Jerry Brown was a fine governor overall. But that’s policy - can’t agree with everything. > [@Stratocaster](#): > > Also, “I’d vote for him over Trump or Vance” is not exactly a ringing endorsement. I mean if it was Newsom vs Rahm Emmanuel in the primary, I’d vote for Newsom. If it was Newsom vs Harris (which Newsom claims won’t happen), I’d probably vote for Newsom. I don’t prefer Newsom over folks like Pritzker or Ossoff or Shapiro or Buttigeig or Booker. For various reasons, including simple realpolitik concerns about Newsom’s electability in a national election. > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I think we need a real fighter - not just for Democratic values and against MAGA, but against the status quo of SCOTUS, against billionaires, against corporations, and more. Newsom, to me, seems like almost the last Democrat I think would be up for such a fight. Well, no. Newsom isn’t a progressive. He has never been a progressive. He’s a center-left liberal more or less exactly like Harris. He will fight MAGA. But not against billionaires - he’s business friendly in a general sense and I’m sure he’d like to be one. Pritzker won’t fight against billionaires either because the cognitive dissonance would be migraine-inducing. I think not voting for Newsom in the primary because he is not and never will be a progressive is absolutely reasonable. Vote your values. Voting against him in a presidential race would be a crime against humanity, but I haven’t seen a single person in this thread suggest they wouldn’t so it’s a moot point. Here at least. But I am still firmly of the opinion that a progressive cannot win a presidential race in present-day America. This is a country that skews slightly center-right. Pushing the Overton Window on this is going to happen slowly by millimeters (if it ever happens at all). ETA: Personally I would like to see a draconian end to billionaires and massive generational wealth via confiscatory death taxes and extremely punitive but very carefully targeted progressive wealth taxes. But that is never, ever going to happen in my or the next generation’s lifetime. Might as well wish for a unicorn that farts rainbows. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/147 "2026-10-22T18:56:40Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Must be the Silent Majority, I guess. The OP was explicitly asking for responses from the select group of those who don’t particularly like him, wanting to understand why. Posters posting why they love him and arguing with those reasons offered on point to the OP read like threadshit to me. Of course this thread will be mostly various grades of not fans - from my almost complete gut reaction - to some who have specific issues. I definitely think that we have a deep bench of great talent with faces that are not stale. If Newsom is the nominee I’ll rally round, but I hope and expect it be one of those many other choices. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/148 "2026-10-22T19:00:31Z")
From my perspective, the Newsom animus is not limited to this thread, which looks to explore the reasons. Not pretending I know all and see all on the board, but ISTM the Newsom distaste is all over the place. It was what sparked my interest in this thread, the hope that I’d gain a better understanding of what I’d already encountered. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/149 "2026-10-22T19:05:08Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Posters posting why they love him and arguing with those reasons offered on point to the OP read like threadshit to me. Oh, I don’t think so. If the thread title was something like - I don’t understand the dislike of Newsom, will people who specifically dislike him explain why?, I think that would be less open to interpretation. That might have been what the OP intended, but it doesn’t read that way at quick glance. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/150 "2026-10-22T19:12:24Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > He is also still pushing that damn boondoggle of a bullet train, another thing Jerry Brown got wrong. Real intercity passenger rail in California would be an amazing boon. It would, however, take more money and political capital than anyone is willing to put into it, thus the decades of half-assed failures. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/151 "2026-10-22T19:30:29Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > doesn’t read that way at quick glance. Really? > [@Calder](#): > > I don’t get the hate for Newsom. Help me understand it. … > > … where did the distrust come from in the first place? This is the central question I am trying to answer seems as straightforward as possible to me. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/152 "2026-10-22T20:08:06Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Based on the poll at in post 120, I don’t think there’s much animosity at all. Yeah, but oddly “33%Some Vibes - but there is something else big in addition to this.” is the most popular, but I have not seen any valid reasons why posters do not like Newsom, other than a gut feeling he is smarmy or similar. Which is valid of course. So, Other than two posters who somehow think Newsoms record of LBGT+ laws is bad- which is demonstrably false- I have not seen anything that would qualify as “something else big”. Of course, there are 132 posts up until this one, so I may have missed something. > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > (substitute “Doctor Fell” with “Gavin N.”) Cute- and true. > [@ricepad](#): > > I think he gets most of them right, but a few of them (trans athletes, for instance) wrong. His stance on trans athletes is that there is a possible issue of fairness in competitive sports with viewpoints that have to be considered. [After Criticism, Newsom Urges Clearer Rules for Trans Girls in Sports | KQED](https://www.kqed.org/news/12061591/after-criticism-newsom-urges-clearer-rules-for-trans-girls-in-sports) > Newsom signed a bill into [law](https://www.outsports.com/2025/10/15/24120449/gavin-newsom-california-equity-sports-trans-athletes-commission-cif/) Oct. 13 that requires the creation of a state commission to study inclusion in youth sports, including of trans youth. The commission has been alternately praised and criticized — while some Democrats have championed the study as a means to improve access for all children, regardless of gender identity, some advocates worry the commission could serve as a backdoor ban for trans kids. Ignore the Podcast with Kirk, where Newsom was trolling Kirk. Think about what Newsom has _actually done_ for trans persons- which is sign a bunch of laws protecting their rights. Basing some Politicians viewpoints on an issue based upon one Podcast, instead of what he has actually done is silly. > [@Tamerlane](#): > > He is also still pushing that damn boondoggle of a bullet train, another thing Jerry Brown got wrong Not Brown, not Newsom. **The Voters.** It was a CA Proposition and passed with a solid majority. Ignoring that would be illegal and unwise. > [@Tamerlane](#): > > ETA: Personally I would like to see a draconian end to billionaires and massive generational wealth via confiscatory death taxes and extremely punitive but very carefully targeted progressive wealth taxes. Wealth taxes are foolish- no nation has them (IIRC a couple tried than got rid of them). But yeah, lets bring back the old Estate tax before the GOP meddled with it. The _base_ Estate tax exception was a mere $675,000 back in 2001- plus extra for a personal residence, etc. > [@DSeid](#): > > The OP was explicitly asking for responses from the select group of those who don’t particularly like him, wanting to understand why. Posters posting why they love him and arguing with those reasons offered on point to the OP read like threadshit to me. > [@Calder](#): > > I don’t get the hate for Newsom. Help me understand it. > [@Calder](#): > > Genuinely curious what people here think. > [@Tamerlane](#): > > Oh, I don’t think so. If the thread title was something like - I don’t understand the dislike of Newsom, will people who specifically dislike him explain why?, I think that would be less open to interpretation. That might have been what the OP intended, but it doesn’t read that way at quick glance. Right. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/153 "2026-10-22T20:21:02Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Really? > > > [@Calder](#): > > > > I don’t get the hate for Newsom. Help me understand it. … > > > > … where did the distrust come from in the first place? This is the central question I am trying to answer > > seems as straightforward as possible to me. I agree, but we appear to disagree on what is being straightforwardly asked. If someone started a thread asking “why do people support Trump” without specifying that they want answers only from Trump supporters, would you expect only Trump supporters to answer? Or would you expect some people who don’t support Trump to provide their theories on why others do? ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/154 "2026-10-22T20:21:08Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Also, “I’d vote for him over Trump or Vance” is not exactly a ringing endorsement. I’d vote for him over any Republican, not just Trump or Vance. I would just be more enthusiastic over some other Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/155 "2026-10-22T20:59:22Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Newsoms record of LBGT+ laws is bad- which is demonstrably false You have moved the goalposts by adding the restrictive phrase “of LGBT+ laws.” His mixed record on LGBT+ issues involved more than legislation, as has been demonstrated in the discussion upthread. If you want to argue that what he says and does other than getting legislation passed is irrelevant, please do so, but to me that sort of thing is important in an ally. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/156 "2026-10-22T21:00:54Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > He is also still pushing that damn boondoggle of a bullet train I voted for the bullet train. We just drove through the project area twice in the last week, though, and it reminded me how much I regret voting for it. I still want high speed rail in California. I don’t want what that project is. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/157 "2026-10-22T21:20:45Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I agree, but Not trying to police … just offer a reason why there is a possible over representation over negative opinions: those with negative opinions were explicitly asked to respond. In terms of the engaged vs less engaged voter dynamic I suspect it is less that engaged voters are more likely to dislike him than that engaged voters are more likely to have any opinion at all, above name recognition, and are aware of the other lesser known options more. ---
**Author:** ![Calder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Calder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calder)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/158 "2026-10-22T21:56:19Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > In terms of the engaged vs less engaged voter dynamic I suspect it is less that engaged voters are more likely to dislike him than that engaged voters are more likely to have any opinion at all, That is probably a better more concise summary of the idea I was trying to get at for the engaged sided at least. > [@DSeid](#): > > above name recognition, and are aware of the other lesser known options more. I have a slight quibble with the unengaged side however. I think “vibes” is one of the few things you can get from a candidate even if you have only seen them speak for 30 seconds. So even less engaged voters will have a vibe. Regardless, my hypothesis that there is a difference between Engaged voters has twice as many people disagreeing with me so I will readily grant I am probably wrong on that front. On Newsom supporters participating in the thread being threadshiting. I can see why you feel that way but it isn’t for me. For me, threadshitting is when someone comes into a thread and tries to say everyone who even has an opinion on the topic is stupid\wrong. ie a threadshit in this topic would be something like “I can’t believe anyone still thinks voting in American makes a difference. Both parties are so corrupt that it doesn’t matter who you vote for.” vs. “Your wrong Newsom is a great candidate because of A B or C.” The second one is just part of the debate for me. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/159 "2026-10-22T22:17:59Z")
New poll just dropped showing both AOC and Newsom narrowly losing to Vance, but handily beating Tucker Carlson (those were the only matchups polled). If Newsom isn’t even more electable than AOC, that undercuts a lot of the case for him. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980/160 "2026-10-22T22:29:18Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Most Democrats feel Newsom is qualified. That doesn’t mean he’s our first pick. I mean, he’s an experienced governor, and of a large state, at that. I’d have a hard time saying that any experienced governor or senator “isn’t qualified”. Bu one can be qualified and still be a poor choice. > [@Babale](#): > > Indeed, the idea that we are sliding into a “corporate-controlled dystopia” is exactly the kind of populist rhetoric that our geopolitical enemies would love our citizenry to believe. It’s part of the “Firehouse of Falsehood” propaganda strategy employed by actors like Russia. Russia’s propaganda is in favor of the corporatists. As for the social-media trolling, my general feel is that someone needs to be making fun of Trump and his cult, but it’s completely immaterial whether that someone is a candidate for anything. It’s neither a plus nor a minus for Newsom as a candidate that he’s one of the ones doing it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-grok-the-newsom-dislike-among-engaged-democrats/1033980.md?page=9)