The violent protests in Los Angeles and President Donald Trump’s response are presenting a test to potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates, forcing them to balance opposition to the president’s precedent-shattering maneuvers with the public’s desire for peace and order.
While California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been outspoken about the events there, many of his would-be White House rivals are embracing a much quieter response. Liberal voters will be watching all of their responses closely in the coming days.
Democratic strategists warn the protests will force everyone to walk a tightrope that could trip up even skilled elected officials
“This moment presents a real reckoning for our party that the stakes are extremely high, and the impulses of many in our party are out of touch with the mainstream,” said one Democratic strategist, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about a sensitive issue. “So far, sanity has prevailed and local officials are striking a good balance of law and order, proportionality and democratic values, but the margin of error is extremely small.”
The strategist praised Newsom’s response but warned the party is fighting over political turf that might intrinsically favor the president. A CBS News poll released this week found that most Americans supported Trump’s deportation plan, and the president has generally received the highest marks of his presidency when voters are asked about his immigration policy.
“I also think we have to come to terms with the fact that immigration enforcement is largely popular, and we can’t simply oppose the idea of it because Trump does it in a way we don’t like,” they said.
The California governor has struck a defiant tone since Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, accusing the president of needlessly escalating the conflict and daring the administration to arrest him.
In a televised address Tuesday, Newsom bluntly called Trump’s actions the start of a much bigger attack against American democracy.
“California may be first, but it clearly won’t end here,” Newsom said. “Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault right before our eyes. The moment we’ve feared has arrived.”
Twenty-two fellow Democratic governors — including possible 2028 aspirants like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker — signed onto a letter in opposition to Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard over Newsom’s objections. They called Trump’s actions an “alarming abuse of power.”
Many of them, however, have ceded the spotlight to Newsom, who made headlines earlier this year during appearances with Trump-friendly media figures that appeared designed to moderate his image.
Now he’s in the more familiar position of fighting the president, as he did often during Trump’s first term in office.
Democrats are applauding his efforts, but they aren’t sure he’s coming out on top politically.
“I think people want a fighter, and he’s giving them a fighter,” said Jim Kessler, executive vice president for policy at the moderate Democratic think tank Third Way. “But just because you’re fighting doesn’t mean you’re winning.”
Another Democratic strategist echoed that skepticism.
“A major pitfall for Gavin is he’s waged several fights with Donald Trump over the years and it doesn’t seem like he’s won any of them,” said a second Democratic strategist. “I don’t think there’s as much sympathy outside of California for California as Gavin Newsom thinks.”
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Alex Roarty is a reporter at NOTUS. Evan McMorris-Santoro, a reporter at NOTUS, contributed reporting.
This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS and NewsWell, home of Times of San Diego, Santa Barbara News-Press and Stocktonia.