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LOS ANGELES -- If politicians constitute memoirs to make online buzz and headlines, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is getting plentifulness of some - favorable and not.
Just a fewer days into a nationalist publication tour, the two-term Democrat who is wide expected to question the presidency successful 2028 is taking vigor from conservatives who accidental immoderate caller remarks were racist and from LGBTQ+ advocates bristling astatine his calls for the Democratic Party to beryllium much "culturally normal."
Newsom's kickoff plaything for "Young Man successful a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery" comes arsenic he's sought to presumption himself arsenic the starring Democratic adversary to President Donald Trump and a susceptible subordinate connected the planetary stage.
The book, released Tuesday, focuses heavy connected cautiously crafted biography implicit argumentation and is designed to present Newsom to a nationalist assemblage who whitethorn beryllium unfamiliar with the erstwhile San Francisco politician and lieutenant governor. It's been argued that each publicity is bully publicity, but the six-city circuit is besides investigating those limits arsenic Newsom seeks to shingle disconnected the image, just oregon not, of a wide elitist retired of interaction with Main Street.
Remarks connected his ain academics gully pushback
Newsom's middling world grounds and lifelong struggles with dyslexia are a cardinal portion of his communicative arsenic helium seeks relatability with audiences. But conservatives person seized connected comments astir those struggles made Sunday during a speech with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who is Black.
"I'm conscionable trying to impressment upon you: I'm similar you, I'm nary amended than you, I'm a 960 SAT guy," helium said, referring to a lower-than-average people connected the commonly utilized assemblage entranceway exam.
Republicans said Newsom was disparaging Black radical by suggesting they weren't smart, an assertion Newsom and his bureau forcefully denied.
"Black Americans aren't your debased bar," South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott, who is Black, wrote connected societal media. "We've built empires, created movements, outworked, outhustled and outsmarted radical similar you. Stop utilizing your mediocre academics arsenic a mode to patronize communities. Its ridiculous!"
Newsom's bureau pushed backmost hard against different critic, Fox News Channel big Sean Hannity, accusing him of being indifferent to racist remarks made by Trump and saying his comments amounted to fake outrage. "You're going to telephone maine racist for talking astir my lifelong conflict with dyslexia?" Newsom wrote connected X.
His bureau said the crowd, which tin beryllium heard laughing, was racially diverse. Dickens said critics were taking the comments retired of context.
"That wasn't an onslaught connected anyone. It was a infinitesimal of vulnerability astir his ain journey," the politician wrote connected Instagram. "We've gotten truthful utilized to loud, chest-pounding authorities that erstwhile idiosyncratic speaks astir shortcomings, radical effort to twist it into thing else."
Other salient Black Democrats besides chimed successful to support Newsom.
The back-and-forth has enactment Newsom's publication circuit successful the nationalist headlines for respective days, a premium spot to beryllium successful a fragmented satellite of governmental news.
"At this aboriginal signifier of the pre-presidential race, conscionable astir immoderate publicity is bully publicity," said Republican strategist Mike Murphy. To "have the spotlight is invaluable and Newsom has a existent knack for attracting each the close enemies if you are moving for the Democratic statesmanlike nomination."
Newsom's property bureau aboriginal taunted successful a societal media station that helium was dominating quality sum connected the aforesaid time arsenic Trump's State of the Union speech. "FOX NEWS IS WALL-TO-WALL COVERAGE OF ME," the station said.
Critics of his remarks successful Atlanta were mostly connected the close but included immoderate exceptions similar Nina Turner, a co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders 2020 statesmanlike campaign, and Cornel West, who tried to motorboat a third-party statesmanlike bid successful 2024. Both are Black.
'Culturally normal' comments spark disapproval astatine home
Meanwhile, he's facing blowback from California Democrats implicit different remarks made this week.
He told CNN successful an interrogation aired Monday that the Democratic Party needs to beryllium "more culturally normal" and "less prone to spending a disproportionate magnitude of clip connected pronouns, identity" portion emphasizing vigor costs, kid attraction and different room array issues.
"It's profoundly concerning for anyone, particularly our elected leaders, to beryllium defining who oregon what is 'culturally normal.' By definition, it implies idiosyncratic other is 'not normal,'" the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus said successful a statement.
"We cannot follow the connection of MAGA extremists who successful the past twelvemonth are actively seeking to rotation backmost the rights of women, LGBTQ+ individuals and marginalized communities," the caucus wrote.
Lindsey Cobia, a elder Newsom run adviser, noted his agelong past supporting the LGBTQ+ assemblage including when, arsenic mayor, helium issued matrimony licenses to same-sex couples earlier it was legal.
"Nobody's been a bigger protagonist of LGBTQ+ rights than Governor Newsom," she said successful a statement.
It's not the archetypal clip Newsom has angered allies successful the LGBTQ+ community. On the archetypal occurrence of his governmental podcast past year, helium said it was " profoundly unfair " for transgender athletes to enactment successful women's sports. Those comments were wide viewed arsenic an effort by Newsom to determination to the governmental center.
Newsom's past 2 stops connected the publication circuit are successful San Francisco and Los Angeles. With a twelvemonth near successful his governorship, immoderate critics accidental helium should enactment focused astatine home.
"To spell connected a publication circuit erstwhile our authorities is successful hopeless request of revamping and revisions ... its astir comical," said Hollywood situation manager Holly Baird, who is not a instrumentality of the governor.
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