EXETER, NH — Gavin Newsom, the California governor who has emerged as one of the most forceful critics of the Trump administration, brought feisty rhetoric and a grave message to voters in New Hampshire on Saturday.
“I pray it dawns on everybody what’s at stake,” the Democrat told a packed crowd in the well-to-do town of Exeter. “If we don’t put a stake in the ground this year, we will lose this Republic. We will lose this country.”
The governor appeared alongside House candidate Stefany Shaheen and Rep. Chris Pappas, who is running against former GOP Sen. John Sununu in an open Senate race that could prove pivotal in deciding control of the chamber.
Newsom, who opened his remarks with a detailed recounting of President Trump’s financial gains since returning to the White House, encouraged Democrats to “fight fire with fire” in November, or else.
“Donald Trump is ruthless, and we have to recognize that the game of politics has changed. And if things have changed, we need to change,” the 59-year-old said. “We’re trying to win arguments. They’re consolidating power.”
Newsom pointed to the president’s deployment of active-duty Marines to assist in putting down protests against ICE in Los Angeles last year. He also brought up Trump’s efforts to force state officials to turn over voter rolls for federal review.
“These guys are not screwing around,” Newsom added.
The Californian’s visit to New Hampshire no doubt came with a subplot. He’s weighing a presidential run in 2028 — though will only enter if former Vice President Kamala Harris stays out of the race, according to CNN.
Until that decision is made, Newsom is putting himself and his dire message out there, holding multiple events in New Hampshire on Saturday alone.
Asked if he was coming back next year, Newsom answered coyly, “If I’m invited, I hope to come back.”
As a key proving ground for presidential hopefuls, New Hampshire has drawn other potential candidates in recent weeks, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Raphael Warnock, both nominally coming to offer their support to Pappas.
The state is also a test for whether a national politician can make inroads with rural voters, a hurdle for a San Francisco native from one of America’s bluest states.
When I asked him Saturday whether he thought he would play well with this strand of the electorate, Newsom highlighted California’s massive agricultural output.
“I live in a rural state, literally in the Central Valley,” he said. “I care deeply about farmers and they’re pissed, they’re furious with Donald Trump and the Trump policies… the Democratic values more broadly, forget the candidate, should play very well in rural America.”
Newsom, though, insisted that he was not focused on 2028.
“It’s all about 2026,” he said. “There is no 2028 fair and election as we know it [without 2026]. Donald Trump believes in competitive authoritarianism.”