Exclusive | Gavin Newsom’s new campaign play: Slide into your group chats

Gov. Gavin Newsom is courting supporters for his likely 2028 presidential campaign with an amorous new message: “Are you up for trying something new?”

That frisky email subject line landed in inboxes Wednesday from Newsom’s federal political action committee, Campaign for Democracy, just days before the governor heads to Michigan to piggyback on Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in the state’s closely watched U.S. Senate primary.

Newsom’s email lays out a new “digital” political operation his PAC is launching to help elect Democrats — and spread the gospel of Newsom — by training supporters to implant Newsom’s talking points into family text chains, alumni Facebook groups and other online communities, where politics isn’t typically discussed.

“A lot of those spaces aren’t political at all,” the email says. “That’s the point.”

Instead of hoping campaign ads or official social media posts reach persuadable voters, Newsom’s PAC — which raised $250,000 after announcing he and his wife are under FBI investigation — will be holding training sessions every Tuesday for the next eight weeks to teach people to digest Newsom’s messaging and regurgitate it to friends, family and associates in their own words.

“So the task isn’t forwarding talking points or propaganda,” the email says. “It’s taking what we send you and translating it for people you understand better than we do.”

The email adds, “The person already in that room is the only one who can get a message in, and the only one who knows how to say it so it doesn’t feel out of place.”

Volunteers who sign up are invited to weekly virtual training sessions where they’ll learn how to become what the PAC calls a “Messenger” and use a web app called Echo to distribute campaign-approved content through their existing online networks.

“The left has this preoccupation of making everything political and this is carrying it to another extreme,” Matthew Klink, a Los Angeles-based political consultant, told The California Post. 

“We joke that families are already divided by talking politics at the dinner table — this is that on steroids.”

Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for the governor, noted that the effort is for volunteers and not a paid influencer or communications effort.

“The governor is using his national grassroots operation for one purpose: helping Democrats win,” Gardon told The Post in an email.

“This cycle alone, he has already raised more than $5.4 million from small donors for Democratic candidates and organizations across the country. Now he’s expanding that effort by mobilizing digital volunteers to organize in the battleground races that will determine whether the Mad King — Donald Trump — has unchecked power or faces a democratic majority that will stop him.”

Gardon added, “This is smart political organizing: empowering real people to persuade the people they know best.”

According to the Newsom PAC’s registration page, participants will receive messaging supporting Democratic candidates in key races around the country, including Nevada gubernatorial candidate Aaron Ford, New Hampshire Senate candidate Chris Pappas and others.

Those two states will likely be vital for any candidate running in a presidential primary and runoff in 2028.

The digital push comes as Newsom continues to desperately expand his national political footprint while publicly declining to say whether he’ll seek the White House in 2028.

On Wednesday morning, shortly after El-Sayed clinched the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, Newsom threw his support behind the progressive candidate.

“Congratulations @AbdulElSayed on a hard-fought victory!” the governor wrote on X. 

“Trump and the GOP are trying everything to rig the rules and silence voters — but they can’t stop a Democratic Party united around working people and accountability. On to November! Let’s take our country back.”

Newsom will travel to Michigan this weekend, where he’ll spend three days campaigning for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot while also meeting with Black community and faith leaders.

The governor’s schedule will include appearances with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson and fundraisers for attorney general candidate Eli Savit and Michigan House Democrats.

Newsom also plans to do a canvass launch for competitive legislative races, a Sunday church service with faith leaders, meetings with Black community leaders in Detroit, and conversations with students, labor leaders and grassroots organizers

And he’ll attend a backyard barbecue with Democratic supporters.

The Michigan swing is the latest stop in Newsom’s increasingly aggressive national roadshow, which has included a book tour to states across the country to promote his memoir and raise money for Democratic candidates.

“Whether it’s a moderate and common-sense Democrat or the new progressive push to create a ‘movement,’ which is what Abudel El-Sayed said on election night and the day after, I’m sure Newsom will start talking about his presidential campaign building a movement as well,” Klink said.

“It just goes to show you Gavin Newsom will be whoever you want him to be to elect him president.”

Newsom has repeatedly declined to say whether he intends to seek the White House.

Regardless, a Newsom namedrop could be coming to a group chat near you.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters