Arizona Legislature

Kari Lake Calls Out California's Governor Newsom For Trying To Be A 'Chameleon' Amid Dispute

Kari Lake isn't holding back when it comes to California Governor Gavin Newsom, calling him out for what she sees as a desperate attempt to change his political reputation.

The dispute started when Gavin Newsom posted a message on August 14th, calling on Californians to "stand up to Donald Trump" and support democracy in the upcoming November elections. "We're going to give people the power to stand up for democracy," Newsom said.

Kari Lake fired back, saying Newsom can't escape his reputation for driving people out of California with failed policies.

"Newsom can try to change his image all he wants, but everyone knows he's the reason people say 'Don't California my [state],'" Lake said on an X post. "His dead-end policies have made his state a punchline, and nobody's forgetting that."

Attached to the previous post in a video, Lake then continued explaining Newsom's policies that have made life worse for Californians, pointing to problems like homelessness and people leaving the state in large numbers.

"They make life worse now, he's starting to realize that, oh wow, even the Democrat voters like President Trump's policies…so he's now realizing that there's no way he could run on his own policies that ruined California", Lake emphasized.

According to Lake, Newsom is now trying to reinvent himself politically because he knows he can't run on his California record. But she doesn't believe voters will be fooled.

"He can try to be a chameleon and change and try to re-create himself," Lake said. "But people aren't going to fall for it."

Meanwhile, Newsom continued his political messaging, saying the fight is about protecting democracy and future generations.

"For the sake of our children, our loved ones, and the futures they deserve, we can't just stand back and watch this democracy disappear", Newsom said. "It's time to fight back."

Ericka Piñon

Ericka Pinon is a state and federal reporter for Cactus Politics. She was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and is fluent in both English and Spanish. She is currently studying Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University.

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