Liberal columnist praises ‘patriotic’ Newsom for ‘shadow campaign,’ slams Democrats for backing Biden

A liberal columnist posted a column in the Washington Post calling California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s alleged “shadow campaign” a “patriotic” move and slammed the Democratic Party for the “reckless gamble” of moving forward with President Biden in 2024.

“Here’s the reality: Whether you like Biden or not (I do, and I’m pretty sure Newsom does, too), the Democratic Party right now is taking a shockingly reckless gamble with the country’s future,” journalist Matt Bai wrote in the Washington Post on Wednesday, the day before the highly anticipated debate between Newsom and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Bai outlines the recent prominent moves made by Newsom that have led to accusations from many  on both sides of the aisle that Newsom is running a “shadow campaign” to step in for Biden as questions continue to grow about his age. 

Bai then slams Democrats, including Sen. John Fetterman, who publicly defended Biden’s re-election and dismissed Newsom’s potential challenge. Fetterman said earlier this year that Newsom doesn’t have the “guts” to admit he’s running and said anyone going against Biden is writing a “check for Trump.”

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“Because, apparently, having guts in the Democrat Party right now means mindlessly cheerleading for the president and hoping, despite all available data and the ominous mood, that everything is going to work out just fine,” Bai wrote.

Bai continued: “The oldest president in history is about to become an even older nominee, backstopped by a vice president whom barely a third of the country likes. For the next year, we will all be one major health issue, or one small slip on the stairs, from inviting a lying autocrat back to the White House.”

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Bai wrote that the “Democratic answer” to this problem has been “some version” of “Don’t worry, we’ve got this.” 

“Which might sound familiar to you, since it’s precisely what Hillary Clinton’s strategists told everyone in 2016, when they tried, mostly with success, to shut down support for anyone who dared to run against her,” Bai wrote. “That worked out great.”

Bai wrote that Democrats should watch the Fox News debate between the two governors and “assess Newsom’s skills and his command of the issues, just in case they should wake up one day and find themselves in the market for an alternative to Biden who isn’t named Harris.”

“That’s not me being mean or ghoulish. That’s being practical, and even patriotic.”

Bai said that viewers will see Newsom as a “polished politician” who can be “too slick” but can “articulate” a “next-generation agenda without pretending “everything will be OK” if the party is loyal to Biden.

“In Democratic politics at the moment, that’s about as brave as it gets,” Bai wrote.

A Monmouth University poll released earlier this month showed that 76% of voters agreed Biden, 80, was “too old” to serve another term, compared to just 48% who said the same about Trump, 77. 

Newsom has denied he’s running for president multiple times, and when asked, he told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo in September that he’s “not worthy of that conversation” and that Biden “deserves it.”

At the start of the Fox News debate on “Hannity” Thursday night, Newsom again denied running a shadow campaign. 

“The one thing we have in common is neither of us will be our party’s nominee in 2024,” Newsom told DeSantis.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC for comment but did not immediately receive a response.