By Alex Seitz-
Wald
California Governor Gavin Newsom will run full-page ads in Texas newspapers on Friday trolling the state's Republican Governor Greg Abbott to highlight California's new gun law, which is modeled on the Lone Star State's restrictive abortion law.
The announcements, shared for the first time with our sister network, NBC News, will appear in the Austin American-Statesman, Houston Chronicle and El Paso Times.
They modify a quote from Abbott about the state's abortion ban and promote "California's response to the perverse Texas law."
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“If Texas can ban abortion and endanger lives, California can ban deadly weapons of war and save lives.
If Governor Abbott is serious about protecting the right to life, we urge him to follow California's lead," the ad says.
The move is the latest example of Newsom's foray into national politics after buying television ads in Florida attacking Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and decrying Democratic timidity while in Washington last week.
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It is also sure to fuel speculation that the Democratic governor, who is expected to be re-elected this fall, is laying the groundwork for a possible presidential bid.
Newsom is scheduled to sign a bill on Friday modeled on the Texas abortion law.
It will allow citizens to sue those who manufacture or sell prohibited weapons, such as so-called ghost weapons.
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The Texas law, passed before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v.
Wade, was the first attempt to circumvent the constitutional right to abortion by making private citizens, and not the state, the primary enforcers of restrictions.
This novel legal approach allows individuals to sue abortion providers or anyone who helps procure an abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy.
Newsom, like other politicians, saw an opportunity to use the precedent set by Texas law to pursue electoral goals for Democrats, such as getting around the recent Supreme Court decision that dramatically expanded the right to carry firearms in public. .
Both the Texas abortion ban and California's new gun bill are seen by critics as encouraging "vigilantism."
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) opposed Newsom's bill, warning that it could "intensify an 'arms race' by setting up bounty hunting schemes on politically sensitive issues."
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But in a phone interview with NBC News on Thursday, Newsom said Democrats have to start playing hardball.
“I think the Democrats have been playing it a little soft,” he noted.
California Governor Gavin Newsom in Sacramento, California, on Friday, June 24, 2022. Rich Pedroncelli / AP
“It is absolutely true that I would prefer to follow 'When they go low, we go high,'” he said, referring to a favorite phrase of former first lady Michelle Obama, “but I also think we would be missing out completely on the moment that we are living”.
The door is open.
Now it's fair game.
The Supreme Court left the door open.”
He also said the California measure was worded in a way that "compels the Supreme Court to reconcile its decision" on the Texas law, when it decided not to block its application in December.
“There is no principled way for them to overturn this law and support the Texas law,” Newsom said.
[The doctor who performed an abortion on the 10-year-old girl raped in Ohio sent a cease and desist letter to the Indiana prosecutor]
All of this national action has led many to question whether Newsom is really thinking about national office.
The chairwoman of the California Republican Party said her trip to Washington to accept an education award last week was actually to "measure the curtains on the West Wing."
Newsom, who has been on the national radar for years, shot down speculation and said he wants President Joe Biden to run again in 2024.
“This has nothing to do with that in any way.
Spot.
New paragraph.
Add six or seven exclamation points,” he told NBC News.
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Still, he said he believes national Democrats have been too slow to recognize the threat posed by Republicans and too willing to let the other side pick the issues and set the terms of political debate.
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“That removal made me understand things better,” he explained of the failed attempt to remove him last year.
“My attention was elevated and I am deeply connected to what is happening now in a way that it might not have been had that impeachment not occurred.”
His supporters have been delighted with his out-of-state activities, and he said "the ads pay for themselves" with the additional contributions they generate, though he noted that was never the intention of launching them.
The Florida ads targeting DeSantis, another possible 2024 presidential candidate, cost about $100,000, while the new Texas ads cost about $30,000 — a fraction of the $23 million he said he had in his safe deposit box. campaign warfare - much less than the value of the media attention they gain.
Besides, he said, it's better than publishing “another press release criticizing Manchin and Sinema.
Synema and Manchin.
Manchín, Synema.
Sinema, Manchin — I can't do that anymore”, referring to the senators.
Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona, who have stymied much of the Democrats' agenda in Washington.
[Abortion restrictions cause problems in women's health care, which can even put their lives at risk]
No matter the method, Newsom said he wants to keep finding creative ways to influence the national debate, and in doing so he's likely to keep his name in the mix in 2024.
“This is an iteration, I'm trying a new approach.
Is this the end?
I hope not,” she said.