Gavin Newsom Admits Democrats Took Woke Politics Too Far
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom admitted his party needs to spend less time on woke politics in an interview with CNN that aired Monday.
Newsom told CNN’s Dana Bash that Democrats need to be “more focused on table issues,” including electricity, child care and housing costs. He argued that, from a “tactical standpoint,” Democrats need to be more “culturally normal” in their politics.
“From a purely political standpoint, there’s no question that the Democratic Party needs to be, dare I say, more culturally normal,” Newsom said. “I believe that.” He made a similar argument in a December 2025 interview at the New York Times Dealbook Summit in New York.
“Less inclined to spend a disproportionate amount of time on pronouns, on identity politics, more focused on the table issues, the things that really matter — the accumulation of stress in terms of electric bills and child care costs and health care costs and obviously housing costs, and how easily we get trapped in that,” the Democrat said.
Newsom issued more than 4,000 same-sex marriage licenses in 2004 as mayor of San Francisco, a mandate some call the “winter of love,” to show his defiance of state and federal laws banning same-sex marriage. This decision led Senator Barack Obama to distance himself from the governor of California.
Newsom now says Democrats will “lose a lot of people” if the party clings to “identity politics.”
“I was there, way ahead of the curve on marriage equality, so I understand that on the receiving end and at the front of the pack, so I think that needs to be taken into account,” Newsom said. “But I think if you can’t keep the focus on competitive sports – again, sports, there are nuances in the broader conversation – but on competitive and medal sports. If we can’t find that nuance, I think we’re going to lose a lot of people.”
In another incident, Newsom was criticized for comments he made on stage during an event promoting his book. Speaking to Democratic Atlanta Mayor Andrew Dickens, a black man, Newsom said, “I’m just like you,” explaining that he only got a 960 on his SATs and “can’t read a speech.” The comments sparked criticism and accusations of racism from many people on Monday, including Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, Fox News host Sean Hannity and rapper Nicki Minaj. (RELATED: Gavin Newsom Burned for ‘Bigotry’ After Telling Black Mayor He’s ‘Just Like You’ Before Touting Low SAT Score)
The gentle bigotry of low expectations…. https://t.co/BQqnaVOc92
-Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 23, 2026
“You don’t give a damn if the President of the United States of America posts a monkey video of President Obama or calls African nations shit,” Newsom wrote in a response posted on X Monday. “But you’re going to call me a racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia? Spare me your fake fucking indignation, Sean.”
Hannity then responded to Newsom’s message: “You don’t give a damn about being Joe Biden’s public spokesperson, knowing that Joe Biden teamed up with former Klansman Robert Byrd as they tried to stop the integration of public schools. So spare me your f’ing fake outrage.”
“How about getting building permits for homeowners in the Pacific Palisades instead of making a fool of yourself daily? Just a thought…..” Hannity added in his X post.
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