California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is taking steps to address crime even as he emerges as a vocal critic of President Trump’s law-and-order crackdown, demonstrating how pressing the issue is for his party heading into 2028.
Newsom criticized Trump’s decision to send the National Guard into Los Angeles earlier this year amid protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, and has risen as a top potential contender for his party in the next presidential election. But he has also enacted policies like sending crime-fighting forces into major California cities and breaking up homeless encampments.
His actions lay out a potential pathway for how Democrats can navigate the crime issue as the GOP goes on offense with charges that their policies are soft.
“It recognizes and acknowledges that we still we have to fight crime, of course,” said California Democratic strategist Maggie Muir. “We have to do both. We have to stand up to Trump and acknowledge that we still have to fight crime but also acknowledge and be very clear that Trump’s efforts are not there to be helpful.”
Polling has regularly showed that the public perceives crime to be a significant problem, and Republicans are in the lead among voters who consider it to be one of their top issues. The GOP regularly accuses Democrats of being soft on crime, most recently concerning the stabbing of a woman in Charlotte, N.C., on public transportation on Friday.
“That has become the norm in Democrat-run cities, where Radical Left policies like ‘no cash bail’ and ‘defund the police’ put depraved career criminals back on the streets — free to continue raping, pillaging, and killing their way through our nation,” the White House said in a release Monday.
As Trump has sent the National Guard into L.A. and Washington, D.C., taken control of the D.C. police and threatened to send the Guard into other Democratic-led cities, he’s sought to put Democrats on defense, trying to force them into one of two non-ideal options — accepting Trump’s move or fighting back and facing stronger accusations of not being tough enough against crime.
Many have taken the latter, but Newsom appears to be trying a different path by leading the opposition against Trump but also taking steps to address crime and related issues.
A year after issuing an executive order to direct officials to dismantle homeless encampments, Newsom formed a statewide task force last month to prioritize removing encampments and provide homeless individuals with the services and shelter they need.
Newsom also rolled out a plan to deploy California Highway Patrol crime suppression teams to work with local law enforcement in various cities and regions throughout the state.
“While the Trump Administration undermines cities, California is partnering with them — and delivering real results,” he said in a statement announcing the plan. “With these new deployments, we’re doubling down on these partnerships to build on progress and keep driving crime down.”
The Hill has reached out to the governor’s office for comment.
Democratic strategists said Newsom’s approach to the issue could be a model for Democrats to avoid getting bogged down in Trump’s framing of the debate.
Muir said Newsom’s approach isn’t new, but it’s taking into account how people feel despite statistics about crime. In many cases, crime has been on the decline in major American cities since the COVID-19 pandemic saw a spike, but polls have indicated many voters still view crime as a major problem, even if they don’t support Trump sending the Guard in.
“I think the governor has been very clear, and local mayors and others have been very clear that, if people don’t feel safe, then that is what matters. Stats don’t matter,” she said in terms of how to address the issue.
Democratic strategist Len Foxwell pointed to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) as taking a similar approach to Newsom. Moore has engaged in a back-and-forth with Trump as the president discusses sending the Guard into Baltimore, but the governor has also responded through policy enactments.
He announced $60 million last month in funding for programs to support victims of crime and last week reinstated state resources to support law enforcement in Baltimore and coordinate public safety efforts.
Foxwell said this helps Moore and Democrats to “take that issue off the table and make it more difficult for Trump and his MAGA echo chamber to say that Democrats are ignoring the issue.”
But he added that Democrats are taking varied approaches, such as with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser not opposing Trump’s actions as much with greater federal oversight of the district.
“On this issue, as on virtually every issue, there is no single unified Democratic approach, and I see different party leaders handling the situation differently,” Foxwell said.
The effectiveness of Newsom’s approach, particularly if he eventually launches a presidential bid in 2028 as is widely speculated, remains uncertain.
California Democratic strategist Steven Maviglio pointed to Newsom’s opposition to the state’s Proposition 36 last year as raising questions about Newsom’s sincerity on the issue. The ballot measure, which passed with overwhelming support, increased penalties and allowed felony charges to be filed for certain property and drug-related offenses.
It overturned parts of a decade-old ballot measure that lowered those penalties.
“He’s not known for his tough-on-crime stances because he hasn’t had any, but he reads polls better than almost any other politician in the country, and he sees that people are concerned about it,” Maviglio said.
He said if a politician is late to an issue, voters may feel they’re disingenuous, but Democrats with a record of taking action can build credibility on it.
Foxwell said Democrats should strive at least to strike this balance on crime so they can go back to attacking Trump on his own vulnerability, the economy.
“We have to pivot as soon as humanly possible, off of the crime debate and back on to our point of firmest footing and his greatest vulnerability, which is his absolutely atrocious handling of the economy,” he said.
