The Democratic Frontrunner

Jonathan Martin: “No Democrat has had a better two years than Gavin Newsom and because of it, the California governor — a national figure since he was a 36-year-old boy mayor — has claimed a new title: front-runner.”

“It’s easy to find Newsom naysayers. In fact, there may not be a modern political figure who was simultaneously so well-positioned to be his party’s nominee and so doubted by the smart set since, well, Joe Biden in 2020.”

“So let’s not make the mistake of ignoring what’s in plain view and give the governor his due.”

“By the old rules of Democratic nominations, Newsom fits neatly in the tradition of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama: younger, outsider candidates who could credibly run fresh campaigns against the Washington status quo of both parties while claiming enough insider credentials to reassure party mandarins who care about such things.”