Inside the push to knock Newsom off his perch as 2028 frontrunner

• Newsom, 58, has begun trying to swat down or get ahead of such arguments. That effort includes his new book coming in February, "Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery."

Newsom's surge this year — driven partly by his trolling of President Trump and a successful redistricting push in California to counter Trump's red-state redistricting — has drawn respect and envy from other Democratic leaders.

• Many now begrudgingly admit they underestimated him.
• "Objectively, Gavin has probably done the best from the 2028ers in the last year," said one source who's working for another possible presidential candidate.
• "It's a superficial sugar high," another said of Newsom's surge.

Zoom in: Our discussions with Democratic operatives shed light on what's likely to unfold as foes try to define Newsom:

1. The "too liberal, coastal elite" argument

• If primary voters prioritize electability, Newsom — a former San Francisco mayor and current leader of left-leaning California — could be seen as a risky choice, the operatives say.
• Newsom has defended providing health care for undocumented immigrants because he supports universal health care — a mainstream position in the 2020 Democratic primary that some Democrats have abandoned.
• Affordability, housing and homelessness remain big problems in California, despite Newsom initiatives as mayor and governor to address them.
• The wealthy Getty family has been a key backer and funder of Newsom's political and business career, leading some of his opponents in California to call him a slick "Davos Democrat."

2. The scandals

• When he was San Francisco's mayor in early 2007, Newsom apologized for having an affair with his campaign manager's wife, who was also a subordinate in his mayoral office.
• Newsom subsequently went to alcohol counseling and said: "I have come to the conclusion that I will be a better person without alcohol in my life." (He later said he began drinking occasionally.)

During California's strict COVID lockdowns that he imposed as governor, Newsom in November 2020 attended a birthday dinner for a lobbyist and adviser at the posh French Laundry in Napa.

• He apologized and admitted attending the dinner was a "bad mistake." The incident fueled a movement to recall Newsom that he ultimately beat back.
• "French Laundry is never going away, an adviser to a potential 2028 rival told Axios. "It's one of the stickiest things ever."

Some of the Newsom's potential future rivals and other Democratic leaders have begun going public with attacks.

• California Rep. Ro Khanna, referring to Newsom's former chief of staff recently being charged with corruption, said the aide's indictments are a "toxic stain" on the state.

Between the lines: Newsom and his team are already working to fight such opposition.

• Newsom often emphasizes his beginnings as a small businessman with restaurants in the Bay Area.

• As progressives and moderates are clashing over the Democratic Party's direction, Newsom resists defining himself as a progressive or a moderate — instead saying he supports a big tent.
• He stands by some of his left-wing policies, but he also signed deregulatory legislation this year in a push to build more housing.

Newsom also has hosted right-wing figures such as Steve Bannon and the late Charlie Kirk on his podcast, which he launched this year. He emphasizes respectful conversation rather than heated debate — which has drawn criticism from some progressive Democrats.

What they're saying: A Newsom adviser called rival operatives' plotting against Newsom "ridiculous shadow boxing from overcaffeinated Beltway consultants."

• "Gavin Newsom and the millions of Democratic volunteers and activists who power our party are squarely focused on winning back the House and stopping Trump in 2026," the adviser said.
• " The D.C. consultants who are supposed to be running Dem campaigns should be too."

Newsom says his new book won't be a typical political memoir and will include details on "public and private moments that I'll always regret."

• "This is a story about a kid who always felt like he wasn't quite enough," Newsom says in a trailer promoting the book. "It's a story about living between two worlds — one of wealth and privilege — and the other a more modest upbringing."

Newsom told reporters Thursday that he and his team are somewhat worried about the reception to the book — and how opponents are likely to latch on to certain disclosures.

• "Just being honest, it comes with a cost," he said.
• He acknowledged that some may see a strategy behind it.
• "Look, I'm not an idiot," he said. "Everyone's going to see it through a cynical set of eyes — I mean, it's a politician writing a book."

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