California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is spending $19 million in a campaign to improve the state’s image, combatting what is considered “misinformation and political rhetoric” against California.
According to The Sacramento Bee, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development sought a contractor last month to develop a state-bankrolled ad campaign to “highlight California’s economic dominance and innovative spirit,” and “showcase its vibrant, diverse business community” while simultaneously emphasizing that “California is a world-class place for business investment, relocation, and expansion.”
The contractor will “execute a thoughtful, data-driven brand campaign, one that includes website design and development, digital content creation, video production, and both earned and paid media strategies,” details for the “California Brand Campaign” state.
“California and its business climate have been falsely and maliciously maligned for years, and the state has a right to tell the true story — California is a great place to live, work, invest and visit,” Newsom spokesperson Tara Gallegos said, as per the report. “We lead the country in Fortune 500 companies and new business starts. We draw more visitors than any other state. And we lead the world in innovation and imagination. Setting the record straight will benefit every business, worker, and resident of this state.”
The ad campaign coincides with reports that the governor may be looking to boost his own public image ahead of a potential 2028 presidential campaign.
Speaking to CBS News Sunday Morning in October, the governor said, “Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise,” when asked about a potential run. “I’d just be lying. And I’m not — I can’t do that.”
Pressed further, Newsom stated, “I have no idea,” going on to explain that the “idea that a guy who got 960 on his SAT, that still struggles to read scripts, that was always in the back of the classroom, the idea that you would even throw that out is, in and of itself, extraordinary.” He added, “I’m looking forward to who presents themselves in 2028 and who meets that moment. And that’s the question for the American people.”
