State Senate President pro-Tempore Toni Atkins introduced a bill on Wednesday seeking to overturn a 2016 law that bars California lawmakers from traveling to GOP-led states on official businesses because of policies that “discriminate” against gay and transgender people. The legislation came just one day before Newsom launched a tour to Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi — which are included in the ban — to promote his newly announced political action committee.
“The shift in direction also will help further position California as a national leader of inclusivity and beacon of hope and support for those who have been isolated by state-sponsored discrimination elsewhere,” Atkins said. A spokesperson for the governor told the Washington Free Beacon that the legislation had nothing to do with Newsom’s travel plans, adding that no employees paid by taxpayer dollars would be on the trip.
Newsom is scheduled to hit the road this week to promote his newly created Campaign for Democracy, which aims to target GOP policies in Republican-led states. The organization is set to target a handful of specific GOP lawmakers, including Govs. Ron DeSantis , Greg Abbott , and Sarah Huckabee Sanders .
The most recent push to visit outside states could stoke rumors about whether Newsom is eyeing a presidential run in 2024. If the Democratic governor wants to launch a White House bid, he would face an uphill battle as a majority of California voters say they do not want him to run.
GavinNewsom GavinNewsom is such a waste of good DNA… Everything the man does is anti-American, anti-Californian, and yet this is apparently what most Californians want. That says a lot about California at this point.
GavinNewsom Yawn.