Gavin Newsom: Knee-deep in political theater?

Knee-deep in a Montana stream, leisurely casting for trout, two fellas in their late 50s did what guys their age do in such moments: chewed the fat about politics.

Except these weren’t just any ol’ fishing buddies: One was CNN anchor Jake Tapper and the other was California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is running for president about as aggressively as possible without actually admitting he’s running for president.

At one point, while casually flicking the fly rod in his right hand, Tapper listed other California Democrats expected to enter the 2028 race, including former Vice President Kamala Harris.

That’s when Newsom dropped his bombshell: “I wouldn’t run if she ran,” and then nonchalantly chewed the end of a fly.

Whatever you think about that pronouncement — and we’ll get to that — let’s pause for a moment and luxuriate in the pure political theater.

Just a rugged man in a stream

There is, of course, nothing nonchalant about the exchange. It’s every bit as contrived and stage-managed as any Beltway TV studio, arguably more so.

And, yet, we’re supposed to take from it that Newsom isn’t just another stuffy old white dude in a suit. “He’s a rugged man of the people, out there, you know, standing in a stream,” said my colleague Mark Z. Barabak, a veteran political columnist who has covered every presidential race since 1980.

“If nothing else, it’s very, very, very not San Francisco,” Barabak said with a chuckle, adding, “one could see, if one wanted, a bit of calculation there.”

In some ways the moment — which has gone every bit as viral as Newsom and CNN’s producers could have hoped when they released it Monday — sums up a candidate who frequently elicits a sharp cringe even from people who admire his politics.

“He’s obviously very intelligent. He’s very well versed on issues. He’s terrific extemporaneously,” Barabak said. “But he can come across as a little too slick, a little too polished, a little too Hollywood.”

I first met Newsom in 2010, when he was running for lieutenant governor. Standing in front of you, making his pitch, he is very impressive.

A candidate with timeshares for sale

But there was also something about him — the slicked hair, the bleached teeth, the slightly too firm handshake — that made me feel as though he was about to sell me a timeshare. I vividly remember the struggle to keep a straight face.

I had the same sensation watching the fly-fishing interview. I love time in the great outdoors as much as the next guy, but come on.

During the interview, Newsom explained that if both he and Harris ran it would result in their “mutually assured destruction.” After all, they come from the same San Francisco Democratic political establishment and share many of the same donors, he said. Cannibalizing each other’s supporters would be a “gift from God” to everyone else in the race, the governor added.

A possible course change?

Then Tapper offered the counter argument: Harris has already run twice and lost, she’s had her shot. Maybe it’s time to give someone else a chance.

Newsom, standing in the river in aviator shades, his dark blue shirt unbuttoned to the sternum, shrugged and acknowledged the point. “That would be the approach to the campaign, certainly, that would be the case you’d make,” he said, as if the thought hadn’t previously occurred to him.

“It’s a pretty good one, actually,” he added, upon reflection. “That’s objectively true.”

Wait a second. Was he gallantly offering to step aside? Or warning Harris against challenging him?

For the record, history does not favor another Harris run. As Barabak pointed out, no Democrat who has been the party’s nominee and lost a presidential election, as Harris did in 2024, has won the nomination again since Adlai Stevenson did it in 1956.

He lost that presidential election, too.

Top stories

The Brooklyn Blaze compete against the Dallas Dream in Long Beach on July 11. Alamitos Beach will serve as the 2028 Olympics’ beach volleyball venue.

(Arwen Clemans / Los Angeles Times)

A Summer Olympics economic windfall is headed for SoCal

• The 2028 Summer Olympics will generate up to $40.6 billion in increased economic output and as many as 224,000 jobs for Southern California, according to a new economic analysis released Tuesday.
• The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. study said that most of the expected job gains will come in positions that don’t require a college education, including shuttle drivers, carpenters, bus drivers, security guards and construction laborers.

Former Metrolink CEO claims rail service endangered passengers with unsafe equipment

• A high-ranking former executive with Metrolink filed a lawsuit claiming he was fired after raising concerns over unsafe rail equipment.
• The former executive also claims he refused to comply with directives that he believed would put passengers in harm’s way and said that the rail authority’s chief executive downplayed risks or dismissed them outright.

Newsom signs first-in-nation standards for homes damaged by wildfire smoke

• The now-signed bill directs the state to create scientific standards for what constitutes a safe home and provide guidance on how to properly remediate residences.
• “California will not leave survivors to navigate recovery alone,” the governor said.

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• NBC4 covered its own helicopter tragedy Tuesday after reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were killed in the crash.
• This Beverly Hills killing was “like in a horror movie.” What really happened to Vanik Voskanyan?
• A federal tax credit could add 143,000 film and TV jobs, industry-commissioned study says
• Savannah Guthrie renews her plea to kidnappers after concern for missing mom Nancy reaches the Emmys.
• Nick Reiner will not face the death penalty if convicted of killing parents, the D.A. says.
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Commentary and opinion

• As Newsom winds down in California, things heat up in Nevada.
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• What The Times’ Daniel Hernandez learned dining at fancy restaurants as Food editor.

Editor’s pick

California

For Subscribers

She got a restraining order against her ex — and still ended up dead. Here’s how the system failed her

Nora Villanueva Campanor sought protection from her former partner — and still ended up dead. A Times investigation shows how L.A. County’s system for granting and enforcing restraining orders leaves women vulnerable to violence, even when they manage to escape from abusive relationships.

Sept. 16, 2026

More picks

• Why is it so hard to get a restraining order? Only 1 in 5 granted in L.A. County.
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Things to do

Pupusas made with optional blue corn masa at Delmy’s Pupusas in Los Angeles.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

• 🌯For Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond, consider this list of 14 Latino-owned restaurants from our 101 Best Restaurants guide.
• 🖼️ Sixteen ambitious art shows to see in and around L.A. this fall.
• 🍊How L.A. residents can get free fruit and shade trees, plus how to plan for resilience in L.A.’s fire-prone neighborhoods.
• 🍲Here’s how a new L.A. pop-up is turning its nostalgic lens on the mall food court with help from a few celebrity chefs.

Today’s recipe

Vegan carrot and ginger soup.

(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

This creamy, punchy fresh carrot and ginger soup is vegan and bright, but it’s also hearty. It provides rich protein via the inclusion of white beans, as well as comfort and a bit of heat thanks to a balance of coconut milk, a walloping dose of fresh ginger and Calabrian chile paste. When finished with a squeeze of fresh orange juice, it’s even more refreshing.

Question for you

What’s your favorite place to see fall colors in California? Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.

Photo of the day

Adam Fullick of the touring production of Broadway’s “Water for Elephants” practices using a Cyr wheel at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. The Times went behind the scenes of the show, which boasts an ensemble with as many acrobats as actors.

(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)

Games

Here’s today’s mini crossword, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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