California elects new governor

The 2018 midterm elections were monumental nationally, locally, and statewide. For California, the results from November 6, 2018 brought the election of Gavin Newsom, a democrat, for California Governor. While his win was unsurprising to those following the gubernatorial race, it was still an impressive win as California conservatives have been rallying in the more rural parts of the state in the time since the election of Donald Trump two years prior. Gavin Newsom, 51, ran on a platform of support of LGBTQ+ friendly legislation and traditionally democratic ideas for state finances.

While transitions of gubernatorial power are usually sticky, this one is likely to be more or less painless. The real point of interest in this story is really unrelated to state policies. It relates to how Governor Elect Newsom will lead the state in anti-Trump resistance. California has been engaging in anti-Trump resistance since the president took office in 2017. The president has repeatedly made crude remarks concerning California, a state that overwhelmingly voted against him in 2016 and against his party in 2018.

Newsom is ready to lead the charge against the federal government as it is headed by Donald Trump. In his victory speech on election night, he stated of California as a state: “we don’t demean, we don’t discriminate and we don’t demoralize. We don’t separate families and we don’t lock kids in cages.” The comments came in reference to Trump era policies such as family separation, a policy that separated parents from children at the border as they entered the country seeking asylum.

“There’s a reason why California’s dream is America’s leading brand. Because California’s dream has always been and always will be too big to fail and too powerful to bully,” Newsom stated. He is pushing California, as a state, to continue being a check on the current administration’s actions, working with the power they hold to maintain prosperity in California for all people.

Besides national concerns, Newsom said income inequality would be a focus in state-level legislation. On the issue, he stated, “We are living in the richest and the poorest state in America. How can that possibly be in an economy as robust as ours?” Tackling the California income inequality issue was something the previous administration was unsuccessful at doing. Newsom has said he will make it a priority in his administration.