California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s reelection campaign has rented billboards in six states with abortion bans, escalating the Democrat’s battle with conservative Republican governors and courting a First Amendment fight with Mississippi.
“We want women to know that we have their backs,” Newsom said in an interview about the billboard campaign. “We care, they matter, and we’re not going to turn our backs on them because they’re from another state.”
One ad portrays a woman with her hands chained behind her back. “Texas doesn’t own your body. You do,” it reads. Another ad says that “California is ready to help” anyone who needs an abortion, adding a verse from the Gospel of Mark: “Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these.”
The ads began appearing in Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas on Thursday. Each state dramatically limited abortion rights after the Supreme Court’s June decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The governors of Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas are up for reelection in November. Reached for comment, none immediately responded to the billboard campaign.
Mississippi, South Dakota and Texas have banned most abortions, with Indiana joining them Thursday after the passage of a ban goes into effect. In Ohio and South Carolina, abortion is banned after six weeks of pregnancy, although both laws have been temporarily blocked in the courts.
Between 1973 and this summer, when the Court’s previous rulings on abortion rights were in effect, states were prohibited from enforcing bans prior to the viability of the fetus, typically interpreted as 24 weeks.
Newsom, whose own position in California was strengthened when he defeated a 2021 recall campaign, has been critical of Republican governors in several policy areas. He’s accused Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and other Republicans who have approved legislation to restrict discussions of gender and sexual orientation in public schools and to limit transgender health-care access, of being “bullies,” and targeting vulnerable residents for political clout.
Newsom’s actions have sparked speculation about a potential run for president, which he has rebuffed, saying he supports President Biden for reelection.
The California governor faces Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle in November’s election, and despite voter worries about crime and high housing prices, Newsom has led overwhelmingly in polls. At the start of this month, Newsom had raised more than $24 million for reelection, while Dahle had raised less than $500,000.
The funding for the billboard campaign came from Newsom’s reelection war chest, a sign of confidence in his own race.
“I’m doing this because I’m privileged to be able to do it,” Newsom told The Washington Post. “I’m doing this because I care. I’m doing it because the people that support my candidacy support this. And when many heard about this, they wanted to support additional efforts like it, to be fully transparent with you.”
Newsom was also anticipating a possible First Amendment challenge on some of the billboards. In Mississippi, the online magazine Slate and the nonprofit MayDay Health have rented out billboards which, respectively, advertise a podcast about abortion rights and a way to access at-home abortion medication. Last month, MayDay Health received a subpoena from Mississippi’s Republican attorney general, suggesting that the nonprofit could be prosecuted for encouraging now-illegal conduct.
Preventing advertising like this, said Newsom, would be a “gross violation of the Constitution.” If the campaign or billboard company were asked to take down the signs, he added, “we look forward to that fight….”
Your California tax dollars at work, thanks to your “Catholic” governor.
It’s little consolation, but the ads were paid for by his campaign funds, not tax dollars. In a one party state (like the old Soviet Union), he’s guaranteed re-election, so doesn’t need much for November. His out-of-state ad buys are part of gearing up to knock off another Catholic brother, Joe “Devout” Biden, in 2024. Uncle Joe says “Gimme a break, man!” and Gruesome Newsom is ready to break him.
True that the billboards may have been paid by Gruesome’s campaign funds, but that loser will find a way to have California tax dollars pay for killing those poor out-of -state babies. How can that man live with himself?
‘I’m doing this because I care’
Sez the guy who 86’d his own mother.
It is not enough for him to be responsible for the murder of California babies, he wants to be responsible for the murder of babies throughout the U.S.
Newsom – attempting to pass Stalin and Hitler on the all-time “hit” list.
Is there a more despicable human being than this man?
That’s a difficult question. Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris, Kim Jong-un, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi and a few others might be in contention. But, only he is our governor and only he and Willie Brown’s mistress want to run for president.
The Grim Reaper – Recruiter of Death.
If this politics thing doesn’t work out for him, maybe he can get an acting job on the “Lucifer” show on television.
I don’t think so because Hollywood producers don’t want their shows to be too realistic.
Want to kill your baby? California is ready to Help.
Thousands are leaving the state, maybe “murder tourism” will draw some back.
with all the murderers Gav has released
from prison, those coming to CA to murder
their baby must weigh the risk of being murdered
themselves, while in the Golden State (of Death).
What would this evil mass-murdering man have to do to be excommunicated (even publicly denied Holy Communion)?!
Bishop Soto, would you please do that?
Last year, Mr. Newsom sold his $5.9 million house in the Bay Area and relocated to Sacramento County. (So, he is no longer a resident of Marin County, in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.)
To his fellow Catholics in the Diocese of Sacramento, I urge you to respectfully ask your bishop and pastors to stop this scandal, while all should pray for Mr. Newsom’s repentance and conversion. If any of you are at St. Mel Catholic Church in Fair Oaks, that’s where he lives, you may want to contact the pastor, Fr. Desmond O’Reilly. It’s (past) time to stand up and speak out.
Anonymous Clergyman,
I like your idea. However, I doubt that Newsom has ever set foot in St. Mel’s. Also, while I think that Soto has orthodox tendencies regarding dogma, he’s relatively spineless against civil authority. He’ll never challenge Newsom, even if he attended Mass on a daily basis.
the Diocese of Sacramento is in the Province of San Francisco,, all under Archbishop Cordileone. it would seem that he would therefore have the authority to start the process of private warning before denying communion
Drewelow,
Archbishop Cordileone is the metropolitan over Sacramento. As such, he has no authority to act in the Diocese of Sacramento. He only can advise.
Abortion is the blood sacrifice to Satan.
Since when is loving your neighbor also killing your neighbor. What sicko came up with this Satanic billboard.
He and those like him set women up for abortion. They think it is great to let men use women’s restrooms and locker rooms and compete in sports.
“Come into my web says the spider to the fly.”
I should have written in the last post that Newson acts like a poisonous spider. Salvation is even open to him if he changes his ways, but it is doubtful at this late date in his life. As a man lives, so he usually dies.
The most evil man in the world?
Newsom = Evil
The Catholic governor of California who had an affair with a friend’s wife is quoting the Bible to the people of Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas.
That’s a good one.
Gov. Newsom is a real nephew of his aunt Nancy and his uncle D.U.I.
Meet them at the airports and the bus stations and the state borders with solutions to their difficulties.
You now have the chance to make California the leader in abortion alternatives.
Take him at his word. This is how he loves as he wants to be loved.
There is a conflict of interest between the will of the mother and the supposed will of the child.
This is why Lila Rose did not have that much impact on Dr. Phil.
They do not have the same values.
They do not value human life.
They say they do but they value something else more: freedom, agency, small government, comfort, ease, control, money,
So then the question is: Why do you get to impose your values on us?
We value that person, the one who is being killed. We value them more than these other values all of which are legitimate.
There is 30% of people that you will never convince-they really don’t care.
There are 70% that are not wanting the abortion in the first place. They just don’t know what else to do. Well, they do but they cannot imagine a way to navigate it.
We need more and better counseling resources for them.
Tell that to people who are profitting from abortions who are suing and closing down prolife pregnancies centers Tell that to those profitting from abortions who seek to take away conscience clauses for healthcare providers and force them to get involved in abortions. Tell that to the people who wanted to force others to get shots from aborted cell lines when there was and can be other cures for COVID. Perhaps we are all guilty at times, but some way more so than others.
This is so horrible! Scandalous! And to use the holy Scripture quote from the Gospel of St. Mark 12:31 is a sacrilege! I also read that Newsom’s team put up a billboard in Oklahoma. Newsom should long ago have been excommunicated. Shame on Newsom and his team!