Nevada Democrats Welcome Gavin Newsom to Vegas: Importing California’s Failed Policies and Woke Agenda

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been invited by Nevada Democrats to visit southern Nevada, specifically Las Vegas, amid reports that he may meet with Aaron Ford, the state’s Democratic candidate for governor and current Attorney General. Reportedly, Newsom’s trip is tied to his role as a top supporter of Ford’s struggling campaign, which has been plagued by ethics scandals and lackluster fundraising.

This invitation comes as no surprise, given Newsom’s recent endorsement and joint fundraising efforts with Ford, alongside Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar and Texas Democrat Jasmine Crockett. But as Newsom jets into the Silver State—likely on the dime of special interests—one must ask: is this an attempt to Californicate Nevada with the same failed policies that have driven California’s economy into the ground?

Newsom’s track record in California is a cautionary tale of progressive overreach, fiscal irresponsibility, and policies that prioritize ideology over results. Under his leadership, California has become synonymous with skyrocketing costs, unchecked crime, and bureaucratic waste.

Let’s break down some of the most egregious failures, as documented in my previous reporting for the California Globe and the Nevada Globe.

First, consider Newsom’s handling of homelessness—a crisis he has exacerbated through massive spending with zero accountability. In a recent article, the California Globe detailed how Governor Newsom wasted $37 billion in taxpayer funds on homelessness programs, failing to track expenditures while the unhoused population ballooned. Now, he’s suing the federal government over cuts to HUD funding, calling them “cruel” while ignoring his own role in subsidizing the problem rather than solving it.

Then there’s California’s fiscal fiasco. Newsom has presided over an $18 billion budget deficit, yet he defaulted on a $20 billion federal pandemic-era unemployment loan—the only governor in the nation to do so. This betrayal shifted the burden onto California businesses through crushing payroll taxes, leading to job losses and massive, economic exodus. While other states used stimulus funds responsibly, Newsom and his Democrat-controlled Legislature squandered billions on pet projects. Nevada, with its tourism-dependent economy, can’t afford similar gimmicks, especially as Ford and Nevada Democrats align with Biden-Harris policies that imposed an average of $30,000 inflationary taxes and fees on Nevadan households over four years. We never heard a peep from Nevada Democrats about inflation during the Biden administration, yet they want voters to now believe they are fighting for affordability.

Crime is another area where Newsom’s policies have spectacularly failed.

Despite announcing a “surge” in law enforcement last year, Newsom admitted, “We have a lot more work to do.” This comes after years of soft-on-crime measures like Proposition 47, which decriminalized theft under $950. Speaking of theft, the California State Auditor report highlighted billions in fraudulent unemployment claims under Newsom’s watch.

Energy policy provides yet another example of Newsom’s progressive recklessness. His green mandates have increased gas prices in California and beyond, as reckless energy policies drive up costs for everyday families. Newsom’s policies have already spiked prices in Nevada. In advance of this eco-tyranny, Governor Lombardo created a Fuel Resiliency Subcommittee to find solutions to California’s Democrat-designed energy crisis. If Ford meets with Newsom, he might ask why he’s pushing gas policies that burden Nevadans driving to work or picking up their kids from school.

Newsom’s recent antics at the World Economic Forum in Davos drew sharp criticism. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent slammed him as “Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken.” Even more alarming, Assemblyman Carl DeMaio accused Newsom of treason for urging global leaders to “fight” U.S. policies, pointing to his China connections—including a $1.4 billion no-bid mask contract and vetoing bills to restrict Chinese land purchases in California. Nevada Democrats invite to Newsom raises serious questions about their priorities.

Turning to Nevada Democrats, their progressive bona fides mirror California’s failures in troubling ways.

Not if, but when Nevada Democrats import Newsom’s “solutions,” Las Vegas would turn into another San Francisco, where tent cities and open drug use are the norm. From our purview, Las Vegas doesn’t need more “solutions” from Democrats considering Las Vegas has been run by Democrats for decades and the state legislature has had a Democrat majority since 2016.

Ford, a “part-time AG” who spends much of his time vacationing out of state on special-interest junkets, shares Newsom’s woke agenda, championing policies that prioritize criminals over victims, illegal aliens over American citizens, and biological men over biological women.

Aaron Ford’s campaign is mired in ethics scandals, including allegations of special-interest influence and a lackadaisical approach to his AG duties. Ford’s support for transgender policies and soft-on-crime initiatives echoes Newsom’s, potentially leading to increased costs and public safety threats for Nevadans.

In 2019, under one-party Democratic rule and with Ford’s support, passed Assembly Bill 236, a sweeping criminal justice reform package that went even further than California’s Prop 47 by lowering the felony theft threshold, reducing penalties for nonviolent offenses, increasing drug possession limits, and emphasizing alternatives to incarceration. Proponents claimed it would reduce recidivism and prison costs, but the reality? A spike in crime, particularly property crimes and theft, as repeat offenders exploited the leniency.

Governor Joe Lombardo, a Republican, has repeatedly blamed AB236 for exacerbating Nevada’s crime wave, pushing to roll back its most egregious provisions amid rising violent and property crimes. Nevada’s reforms were worse than California’s because they lacked even the minimal safeguards Prop 47 had, leading to a 12 percent drop in property crime arrests but a surge in repeat offenses, straining law enforcement and communities. This “justice reinvestment” turned into a crime investment.

Much like their national counterparts, Nevada Democrats could not and cannot define what a woman is, so they unilaterally ushered in a deceptive Equal Rights Amendment that amended the state constitution, causing chaos in women’s collegiate and high school athletics. This chaos may be fixed by a ballot initiative sponsored by Governor Lombardo that aims to protect female athletes and adhere to Title IX.

Newsom’s invitation to southern Nevada isn’t just a fundraising stop—it’s a potential export of California’s dysfunction. With Ford allegedly tied in polls against incumbent Republican Joe Lombardo, as per recent Emerson polling that under-sampled independents, Nevada Democrats are desperate. But aligning with Newsom, whose tenure has led to mass out-migration from California (including to Nevada), is a risky but revealing bet.

As California drowns in billions of fraud and waste under his watch, why would Nevada Democrats invite this chaos? Perhaps because their own policies, from criminal justice reform fiascos to economic missteps, align perfectly with Newsom’s playbook. If Ford and his allies prevail, the Silver State risks becoming the next Golden State casualty.