A former Democratic super-fundraiser argued Wednesday that Democrats “deserve to lose” in 2028 if they nominate “pretty boy” California Gov. Gavin Newsom as their candidate for president.
Evan Barker, who claims she has raised some $50 million for Democrats during her career as a party operative, made the declaration during an appearance on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
“Gavin Newsom, if he actually becomes the nominee in 2028 — the Democrats deserve to lose again because there’s no way a pretty boy from Marin County is going to be able to win over swing voters in swing states,” Barker said.
“It’s not going to happen,” she declared.
On “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Barker also revealed she voted for President-elect Trump in November. foxnewsNewsom, 57, is term-limited at the end of 2025 and will not be able to run for the Golden State governorship, leaving him jobless right around the time the 2028 presidential horserace gets underway.
The two-term governor was floated as a possible replacement for President Biden at the top of the 2024 Democratic ticket as concerns about 82-year-old commander-in-chief’s mental acuity mounted.
Newsom, a top Biden surrogate before he dropped out of the race, repeatedly dismissed having any interest in entering the 2024 White House race and quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on the same day the president ended his re-election bid.
The Democratic governor and former San Francisco mayor has emerged as one of the resistance leaders in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s 2024 victory, recently launching an effort in the California Legislature to budget at least $25 million in taxpayer money for a war chest that would counter future Trump administration policies in court.
Barker, who is now a registered independent and says she voted for Trump in the 2024 election, noted that the electorate is also likely to remember Newsom flouting his own recommendations for gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think people remember him dining at the French Laundry, and that will definitely be brought up,” she said, referencing Newsom’s maskless November 2020 outing at a pricey Napa Valley restaurant. “So if they nominate him, they deserve to lose.”
