Billionaire CA Gov Candidate Tom Steyer's Puzzling Answer About Gavin Newsom's Job Performance

Billionaire lefty environmentalist Tom Steyer is well known for funding Democrat politicians and causes, particularly in California, where his $12 million contribution to the campaign for 2025's Proposition 50, Gov. Gavin Newsom's gerrymandering initiative, made him that campaign's single largest donor.

Steyer is one of the Democrats in the crowded race to succeed Newsom, who's termed out this year, and has already filled his campaign account with $80 million of his own money. One would think that given his candidacy and the wealth of resources at his disposal, he'd have an intelligent, if diplomatic, answer to a journalist's question about Newsom's job performance during his two terms.

Like his fellow candidate Eric Swalwell, Steyer couldn't come up with a criticism of Newsom. On her weekly show, California Politics 360, Sacramento journalist Ashley Zavala asked Steyer, "What grade would you give Gavin Newsom for the last two terms?" He stammered and replied, "I don't know. Look, I think..." 

Perhaps sensing that Steyer was about to deflect, Zavala pressed again. "A through F?" Steyer tried to pivot, saying, "I don't know. I think that people have come to really appreciate how Gavin has stood up for the State of California."

Again, Zavala pressed, "You won't give us a grade?" "No, I'm not going to," Steyer replied. Zavala wouldn't let up, asking, "You won't grade him?"

"No," Steyer confirmed, explaining, "I haven't -- I haven't followed it closely enough to give him a grade."

 Pardon? Even if Steyer didn't want to say anything negative about Newsom, for a gubernatorial candidate to claim or admit that he hasn't followed Newsom's nearly eight years as governor closely enough to give him a grade is disqualifying. That answer alone gives him zero credibility when discussing the issues, though any fan of small government and capitalism would already dismiss Steyer's positions out-of-hand.

After all, he's the man who pushed anti-global warming and "close the corporate tax loophole" ballot initiatives who's now campaigning by saying that the cost of living in California - specifying housing and utilities - is too high, and that he has the proven track record to help.

Since he clearly doesn't realize that his track record is the opposite of helping, and since he's severely afflicted by Trump Derangement Syndrome, it makes sense that his only thought about Gavin Newsom is that he "stands up" for Californians against Trump.

But his claim that he hasn't paid enough attention to what Newsom's done inside California for the last eight years to grade his performance is nonsensical.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.