The California governor told an undercover reporter the party cannot manage decline. DSA’s own program and recent polls show what that change would involve.
“We can’t manage the decline.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that in mid-October to a woman who told him she was a younger voter and asked where the Democratic Party is headed. She was an undercover reporter, and Townhall obtained the recording exclusively and published it Oct. 26.
The exchange took place in New Hampshire, where Newsom was campaigning for congressional candidate Stefany Shaheen. The reporter said she and other young voters did not want Kamala Harris and wanted more democratic socialist policies. Newsom answered that no one is arguing for managing the status quo more efficiently, and that the energy and demand for bold change behind the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) would become the dominant, mainstream force in the party. He added that the system is broken and unbalanced.
The reporter’s question set the topic. She named democratic socialist policies and asked where the party was going. In the exchange as quoted, Newsom does not mention a specific DSA proposal, and he spoke about energy and the direction of the party.
His earlier public remarks go further on policy. In early September he told PBS NewsHour the party is “pretty aligned” with DSA on issues such as Medicare for All and climate policy, and he said the label is a familiar one to a Californian, who would call the same people progressives. He also told Politico he is for a big-tent party and is “not alarmed” by the group’s rise.
DSA released an updated program on July 14 titled Workers Deserve More. It calls for drafting a new constitution that would replace the president and the Supreme Court with officials chosen by Congress, and the plan has been widely described as including the abolition of the Senate. The program also calls for a 32-hour workweek with no cut in pay and for healthcare at no cost to patients.
National opinion of the group runs negative overall, with a large gap by party. An Emerson College poll in August found 23% of likely voters consider themselves DSA supporters, 60% do not, and 17% are unsure. A May Marquette Law School national poll, summarized here, found 38% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents viewed the group favorably and 21% unfavorably.
Newsom, widely viewed as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, told reporters in July that fate will decide whether he runs.
Sources:
Townhall (exclusive, Oct. 26, 2026): Newsom undercover video report
Fox News (Sept. 8, 2026): Newsom’s PBS NewsHour remarks (secondhand; PBS original to be linked)
Newsweek (Sept. 8, 2026): Newsom’s Politico interview and Marquette poll figures (secondhand)
Associated Press via Richmond Register: DSA program reaction
Fox News: DSA program planks (secondhand)
Emerson College Polling: August 2026 national poll
Have a correction or tip? See our
corrections policy or contact the newsroom.
