California Gov. Newsom, on Hidden Camera, Says Democratic Socialists Are 'Going to Be Dominant' in His Party

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Democrat many expect to run for president in 2028, told a young voter he thought was a supporter that the Democratic Socialists of America are about to take over his party's direction. The voter was an undercover journalist with a hidden camera.

"The DSA, the energy and the desire and demand for bold change, not incremental change, is very much going to be dominant," Newsom said. "I mean, that's going to be a mainstream democratic movement. Absolutely. No question about that."

Townhall, the conservative news site, released the 50-second video Monday morning. It was recorded Oct. 17 in New Hampshire, where Newsom spent the day headlining rallies for the state's Democratic candidates, including congressional nominee Stefany Shaheen. By Monday afternoon the post had passed 420,000 views on X.

What he was asked

The setup was simple. The journalist told Newsom she was a younger voter who didn't want "more Kamala Harris" and wanted "more, I guess, democratic socialist policies," then asked where the party was headed.

Newsom didn't hedge, and he didn't steer her toward the middle. "No one is arguing to manage the status quo and fail more efficiently," he said, before calling the DSA's push dominant and mainstream. Then he went further: "You can't play in the margins anymore. The whole, the system's broken. It's completely unbalanced, and we can't manage the decline. We have to completely reimagine."

That's not a governor talking about a fringe group he tolerates. That's a likely presidential candidate telling a socialist-leaning voter that her side is winning, and that he's with it.

He said it on TV first, softer

This wasn't a slip. Seven weeks earlier, on the Sept. 7 PBS NewsHour, anchor Amna Nawaz listed the DSA-backed candidates who won Democratic primaries this year and asked whether their ideas should be worked into the party's platform. "I think they are," Newsom answered.

When Nawaz pointed out that some party leaders keep their distance from those candidates, Newsom drew the line in a telling place: "But not the ideas." He named Medicare for All, which would replace private health insurance with one government plan. "I believe in universal health care, and I believe in Medicare for all," he said, then summed it up: "I think we're pretty aligned." PBS posted the full transcript.

So the public version is "aligned." The private version, to a voter he thought was on his side, is "dominant." Think of a restaurant owner who tells the health inspector the new chef is just helping out, then tells the kitchen staff the new chef is running the place now.

Why he's saying it

Follow the 2028 math. A New York Times/Siena College poll taken Oct. 12-19 found Democratic primary voters scattered: Harris at 12%, Newsom at 9%, Pete Buttigieg at 7% and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the best-known politician the DSA has backed, at 6%. Almost half, 45%, said they don't know yet.

That undecided pile is where Newsom's path runs. If the energy in Democratic primaries belongs to the socialist wing, as it did in races like Michigan's Senate primary, then the governor of the biggest blue state can't afford to be the candidate the DSA votes against. Monday's video shows him auditioning for their support.

What it means for the midterms

The timing stings for Democrats. The tape dropped eight days before the Nov. 3 midterms, while candidates in swing districts are telling voters they're moderates who'll lower costs. Now the party's most prominent governor is on video saying the socialists are the future, the system has to be "completely reimagined," and there's "no question" about it.

Republicans don't have to argue the Democratic Party is moving toward socialism anymore. They can play the tape.