At the end of March, Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the launch of his "Campaign for Democracy," a political action organization that will target red states in the 2024 election cycle.
He said it will be taking on what he said in a launch video are "authoritarian leaders," all Republicans, who are "directly attacking our freedoms," including Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ,and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Newsom this week is touring southern states including Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Florida to tout his new campaign, but instead of talking about kitchen-table issues that are important to most Americans, such as the economy, surging crime and foreign policy, Newsom instead has focused his rhetoric on cultural issues such as transgender rights, alleged book bans and racial injustice.
But Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former San Francisco prosecuting attorney who was married to Newsom from 2001-2006, told Newsmax on Thursday that Newsom's strategy will backfire because the situation in the state he has governed for five years is mired in problems that are worse than in any of the red states in which he is targeting.
"It's not going to work well for him at all because California is a total disaster, and it stands in stark juxtaposition to the rest of the country and red states that are thriving, like we are here in Florida," Guilfoyle, who is engaged to former President Donald Trump's son, Don Jr., told "Rob Schmitt Tonight."
"He has this obsession, thinking that he's going to make California great again and make the whole country like California, and that is not going to happen."
Although President Joe Biden has said he intends to run for reelection, he has yet to officially announced his decision. With Vice President Kamala Harris viewed unfavorably by many Democrats, Newsom could be angling for the nomination should Biden, 80, who is the oldest to serve as president, decides not to run.
"He doesn't have any platform to run on because he doesn't have any economic success," Guilfoyle said. "Any business, any job manufacturing, infrastructure, people are fleeing California. Look at San Francisco. What has happened there? Look at what has happened in Los Angeles. Rampant crime just like we're seeing in New York.
"How can you campaign successfully for president of the United States when you want to turn the rest of the country into a freak show zombie apocalypse like California with what he has done?"
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