California Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) may be positioning himself for a future presidential bid, according to PAC spending.
Upon launching a PAC to challenge Republican “authoritarian leaders,” Newsom has not fought against such politicians.
Funds have instead been spent on Democratic strategists, ads, and photo opportunities.
According to former Communications Director for the Republican National Committee Michael Ahrens, “It’s obvious that his ‘Campaign for Democracy’ is really just a ‘Campaign for Gavin Newsom.'”
“This is the kind of operation you set up when you want to run for president, and he would absolutely jump in the race if the opportunity presented itself,” he said.
Since its March launch, Campaign for Democracy PAC has raised $3.8 million.
Over $2 million has been passed to Aisle 518 Strategies, a progressive firm.
About $181,000 went to advertising, $60,000 went to fundraising, $42,000 was spent on traveling to red states, and almost $11,000 was given to Democrats in red states.
Reporting from Free Beacon:
Newsom’s national fundraising and spending numbers come as Biden’s approval ratings hit an all-time low of 35 percent and some Democrats are quietly talking about potential replacements even as they pose a united front, CNN reported in July. Seventy -five percent of Democratic voters don’t want Biden to run again, according to a CNN poll from last week. The California governor is term-limited, and has funneled $11.6 million from his gubernatorial campaign chest to the Campaign for Democracy. In another effort to present himself as a viable alternative to Biden and boost his profile, Newsom challenged DeSantis to a debate moderated by Sean Hannity on Fox News set to take place in November.
