Overview
- After years of denial, Gavin Newsom acknowledged in interviews this week that he is giving serious thought to a 2028 bid, saying on CBS he would be “lying” to claim otherwise.
- Newsom framed his reconsideration as a response to President Donald Trump and “Trumpism,” saying on the All the Smoke podcast that he “can’t take” the current direction.
- The White House confirmed California issued the commercial driver’s license to the trucker charged in an Oct. 21 fatal crash, a case opponents are using to attack state policy.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Oct. 15 that DOT would withhold $40 million from California over what the department says is a failure to enforce English-language rules for truckers.
- An Emerson College/Nexstar poll earlier this month found a hypothetical 2028 matchup between Newsom and Vice President JD Vance essentially tied nationally.