'These Are The First Steps': Signs Are Pointing To Gavin Newsom Joining The 2024 Race But Time Is Running Out

It seems that despite earlier official statements from Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) that he would not be participating in the 2024 presidential elections, some signs are pointing in the opposite direction with ongoing fundraising efforts that appear like that of presidential candidates. 

In November of last year, the California official stated that even if President Biden were to not run for another term in the Oval Office, he would not be throwing his ticket into the race, per The Hill. This went against many rumors that pitted him against Biden in the coming Democrat primary but he ultimately shut down any question of it for the time.

But perhaps the recent corruption with Hunter Biden or just the generally declining perception of the aging president may have changed his opinion on the matter. According to a report from The Sacramento Bee, a handful of different organizations that have ties with Newsom have been spending and fundraising money in the millions. 

There is a political action committee, a SuperPAC, and a joint fundraising committee that are all gathering money at the moment with no apparent goal. The most obvious one would be Newsom running for the position of Commander in Chief, but the earlier statements against the case muddy the waters.

A senior data analyst at Open Secrets, Brendan Glavin, explained, “For someone who has an interest in launching a presidential campaign, these are the first steps you’d take. I wouldn’t say it’s set in stone, but certainly, you wouldn’t do all of these things if you weren’t thinking about it.”

Newsom had originally launched the SuperPAC to fight against “rising authoritarianism” and ensure that America “elect[s] leaders in 2024 who believe in democracy.” Newsom then took $10 million from the PAC to put into his gubernatorial campaign account. 

However, even with all the speculation about Newsom having a run for president, he’s on a tight schedule. Different states have different deadlines that candidates can file to participate. According to Ballotpedia, many of the deadlines are towards the end of 2023 in November and December. If Newsom wants to file within his home state of California he has until the fifteenth of December to do so. 

Ultimately, whether or not Newsom intends to run is unknown. Signs may be pointing towards it and many Democrats may be hoping for it but until the day he files the paperwork nothing can be known. Having Newsom run could give a better chance for the Democrats considering Biden’s track record, but the record of the party isn’t all too good either.