Uvalde Aftermath Includes Questions Of California Gov. Newsom's Ambition For White House
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The gut-wrenching video of the Uvalde school shooting is out on the same day California Gov. Gavin Newsom was back in the national spotlight, signing a gun control bill fast-tracked in response to that mass shooting.
Newsom is in Washington, DC, this week to meet with national leaders on a number of topics, and California political strategists are speculating he could be considering a presidential campaign.
"I think it's pretty clear his ambition is to go to 2024 in the White House," Republican strategist Tab Berg said.
"He says he's not," Democratic strategist Steve Maviglio said. "They all say they aren't."
Newsom flew to Washington, DC, after signing a gun control bill into law Tuesday. He tweeted a video recording of the signature just hours before the leaked video of the Uvalde school shooting came out.
Maviglio said Newsom is putting himself into a position to be in the mix of Democratic candidates if President Biden chooses not to run again.
"I think he's trying to plant himself firmly on the national stage," Maviglio said.
We asked Maviglio about the challenge a candidate faces of not appearing to take a tragedy into a political gain.
"Well, it's a delicate balance, but many gun safety advocates are saying there is no better time to talk about gun control," he said.
Berg believes Newsom's gun control regulations would hurt his chances in a presidential campaign.
"Applying more gun regulations while we're continuing to let more violent criminals out of prison is what's causing the problems in California," Berg said.
Newsom also bought $100,000 worth of TV ads in Florida over the holiday weekend, adding to the speculation he is thinking seriously about a presidential run.