California Gov. Gavin Newsom isn’t the best presidential candidate, Silicon Valley Democrat says

Gov. Gavin Newsom is not the strongest candidate Democrats could run for president, fellow Californian and possible future White House contender Ro Khanna told conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt’s radio program Tuesday.

“I would consider the governor, but I think you’d have other stronger candidates in the Midwest,” said Khanna, a Democrat who represents Silicon Valley in Congress.

It’s somewhat unusual for colleagues serving in the same state not to at least say kind things about future presidential contenders.

Newsom has emphatically and repeatedly denied he has any interest in running for president in 2024. He has enthusiastically supported President Joe Biden.

At the same time, he’s setting the stage for a national future. He’s set up the sort of campaign finance system that presidential candidates often use, and run ads in Florida and elsewhere.

The California-based Hewitt asked Khanna that if Biden didn’t run, “Would you be in favor of Gavin Newsom? Would you be endorsing the governor of California, who would be a formidable, almost impossible to beat nominee?”

Khanna replied, “I don’t think he’d be impossible to beat. I think we’d have a lot of other contenders.”

Khanna cited Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, whose stature in the party rose after he led timely repairs to the collapsed Interstate 95 bridge that connects most major East Coast cities.

“I think you’d have people like Shapiro and others (who) would be better candidates, potentially, in the Midwest. And I think Biden is a stronger candidate in Ohio, in Michigan, in Wisconsin, and in large parts of the country,” Khanna said.

Newsom has tried to expand his political reach. He’s visited Alabama, Georgia and other heavily Republican states recently. He sat down with conservative talk show host Sean Hannity for two lengthy prime time interviews.

Newsom, though, is not well known outside of California. If he does run in 2028, he would likely face a challenge from Vice President and Californian Kamala Harris.

Khanna for president?

Any Khanna presidential ambitions didn’t come up during the Hewitt interview.

He was a major supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind.-Vt., and campaigned for the senator during his 2016 and 2020 presidential bids. Sanders is not running in 2024, and his backers are looking for someone who can mobilize the party’s liberal constituency with the passion Sanders brought.

Khanna, 46, arguably fits that role. He’s also an Iowa campaign veteran, having stumped there for Sanders and returning this year to talk about the promise of technology, particularly in rural areas. Iowa has historically hosted the first presidential caucuses.

A congressman since 2017, he’s been a supporter of Medicare for All, which would replace virtually all private and public insurance with a system of national health care coverage.

He co-sponsored Sanders’ bill to provide free tuition at public colleges and universities to families earning less $125,000, and make all community college free.

He had a perfect liberal voting record on the scorecard of Americans for Democratic Action, which promotes liberal views, in 2021, the last year available.

Khanna addressed his future in an interview with Politico in March.

He said he was not running for president in 2024. Then, he said, “after the ’24 cycle will be a time where America will start to look to the future.”