Gavin Newsom Is Playing the Long Game

"A recurrent phenomenon among California governors, who tend to run glamorous, is playing against type. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a man once known for toting a bazooka, turned himself into a sober-suited policy wonk. Jerry Brown, a onetime figure of "pop politics," emerged as a curmudgeon. For Newsom, a middle-aged man with a large, young family, a glow of professional attainment, and, most days, enough Oribe Crème in his hair to dress a good Crab Louie, the challenge has been to look both humble and concerned."

""I think we all know why we're here," he said, taking the microphone. It was a few days before a statewide special election, and Newsom was speaking to a local chapter of the United Domestic Workers, whose members, largely women of color, had assembled for a rally with the Governor. "Trump knows he's going to lose the midterms," he said."

Gavin Newsom projects a polished, accomplished public image while trying to present humility and concern when meeting voters. He campaigned at a union hall in San Diego in white shirtsleeves and adopted small gestures to appear modest. He spoke to United Domestic Workers, a membership largely composed of women of color, and asserted that Trump would lose the midterms. Newsom spent weeks campaigning for Proposition 50, a statewide redistricting measure. California governors often reshape their public persona, and Newsom faces the task of convincing voters he is more than an establishment figure.

Read at The New Yorker