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MICHAEL R. BLOOD Political Writer.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s national profile soars with latest Trump fight, but there are risks

August 22, 2025

Gavin Newsom is having a moment. In the national struggle over U.S. House control, perhaps no politician has more at stake than the California governor, who has emerged as the leading Democratic adversary to President Donald Trump. Newsom is pushing through a plan that could add five Democratic House districts in California, intended to counter five Republican seats Trump wants in Texas. Newsom’s press office is getting attention on social media for mimicking Trump’s blustery style. But voters might reject Newsom’s plan for new House districts. And while Newsom is widely seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, the maneuverings might dampen his chances.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom calls for a new way for California to redraw it's voting districts during a news conference In Sacramento, Calif., Friday July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

California rushes to plan a still unscheduled election in US House seats standoff with Texas

August 7, 2025

California Democrats are rushing to schedule an election to remake U.S. House districts to counter plans to boost Republican seats in Texas. It has created a tricky dilemma as county officials are being urged to plan for an election that hasn’t been scheduled and might not happen at all. It’s also not known if the state will cover the cost of the potential November election. Texas and California are the leading actors in a back-and-forth push to remake the balance of power in the U.S. House, kicked off when President Donald Trump called for Texas to redraw lines to boost GOP seats.

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Vice President JD Vance speaks during a visit to the Wilshire Federal Building Friday, June 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Vance blames California Dems for violent immigration protests and calls Sen. Alex Padilla ‘Jose’

June 20, 2025

Vice President JD Vance is accusing California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging violent immigration protests. Vance made the remarks Friday as he seeks to rebut criticism from state officials that the Trump administration had fueled the unrest by sending federal officers to LA. Vance also referred to U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla as “Jose Padilla.” The comment came a week after Padilla was forcibly taken to the ground by officers and handcuffed after speaking out during a Los Angeles press conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Padilla’s office called it a “cheap shot,” and Newsom and Bass called Vance’s comments “nonsense.”

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Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during an address on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Office of California Governor via AP)

California governor says ‘democracy is under assault’ by Trump as feds intervene in LA protests

June 10, 2025

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom says the federal military intervention in Los Angeles marks the onset of a much broader effort by President Donald Trump to overturn political and cultural norms at the heart of the nation’s democracy. In a prime-time speech Wednesday clearly directed to a national audience, the potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate said the arrival of National Guard and Marine troops in the city was not simply about quelling protests that followed immigration raids by federal authorities. Instead, Newsom says it was part of Trump’s calculated “war” intended to upend the foundations of society and concentrate power in the White House.

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