‘Established insurgent’: Gavin Newsom reveals his political mindset

WASHINGTON, DC: California Governor Gavin Newsom is casting himself as an “established insurgent,” saying he has long shared the mindset of candidates who challenge the Democratic establishment and status quo.

His comments came as Democrats debate why progressive and democratic socialist candidates have gained ground against mainstream incumbents.

Newsom said voters want “fighters” with conviction and clarity, while frustration over the cost of living and wealth distribution is shaping the political mood.

Newsom says he sees himself as an insurgent

Newsom made the remarks while campaigning for Democratic candidates in Michigan, where he told reporters that he sees “insurgency over incumbency” as the central message behind the party’s recent candidate shifts.

“I think this notion of insurgency over incumbency is the real message here,” Newsom told reporters, as reported by the Hill on Monday, August 10. 

He said voters want “people with conviction, strength, clarity” who understand their concerns and are ready to act.

“People that get it, want to get things done, and they’re done with the status quo,” Newsom said.

He then applied that description to his own political identity.

“I totally respect that,” Newsom said. “I long felt like I’ve been an established insurgent. I’ve always had that mindset.” 

The California governor also tied the appeal of insurgent candidates to economic frustration. 

He said people are angry about how wealth is distributed in the United States, arguing that “just 10 percent of people have two-thirds of the wealth.”

“It’s a portfolio economy, not a paycheck economy,” Newsom said. “And people are pissed.” 

He linked that anger directly to the economic pressures he said voters are confronting.

Democrats debate the party’s direction

The comments come amid a broader Democratic debate over the direction of the party after a series of incumbent losses to democratic socialist and progressive candidates.

Those candidates have emphasized dissatisfaction over the rising cost of living, among other issues. 

Some Democratic lawmakers have argued that the party remains a “big tent,” while strategist James Carville has criticized progressive candidates and their policy proposals as “not popular.”

Carville’s criticism has drawn pushback from the progressive left. 

Sen Bernie Sanders suggested that Carville start his own party, while Sen Elizabeth Warren dismissed much of Carville’s commentary.

“Look, James Carville has an opinion on everything, and I pay attention to almost one out of 10,” Warren told TMZ last week.

Mamdani invokes FDR and the new deal

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani offered a separate argument for why Democrats should move left. 

Mamdani, a democratic socialist, said progressive candidates could restore an older version of the Democratic Party.

“You think about FDR and La Guardia, you think about the New Deal; that’s what the Democratic Party once was,” Mamdani said in a SiriusXM interview.

He referred to former President Franklin D Roosevelt and former New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia before adding, “That’s what it could be again.”

“And if we want to win, I think that’s what we have to become,” Mamdani said.

The New Deal under President Franklin D Roosevelt relied on federal action during the Great Depression, including emergency relief and work programs, banking reforms and measures to help people struggling with economic hardship.

Newsom, who will serve out the remainder of his term as California governor, is a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender.