Hello there, Chuck Todd here.

Another episode of the Chuck Todd cast.

Appreciate you.

It's a Wednesday, and today it's going to be a bit of a focus on campaign 2026, if you will.

In fact, my guest is somebody who's already running for an office in 2026.

It's the Office of California Governor.

And we're likely to, the California Governor's race is going to be the closest thing we have to a presidential

level race. It'll be the, you know, arguably the most important race that's held in the midterms.

The winner of the California governorship is essentially the leader of the fourth largest economy on earth.

So it is not a small job.

And if you're a governor of California, you're automatically thought of as a potential future president.

But obviously, this could be a unique year for the California governorship, because you've got the outgoing governor who is clearly trying to position himself, put himself in a better position to run for president, Gavin Newsom. He is already trying to take some sharp right turns away from the progressive end of the Democratic Party when it comes to transports, when it comes to health

care for undocumented immigrants. He certainly is trying to do a bit of a heel turn, if you will.

On that, we'll see, it's a very clearly a very intentional move. Does it come across as authentic?

Does he come across as somebody listening to voters?

Or does he look like he's trying too hard?

That's going to be on him, right?

It all depends on how you sell something like that.

I remember when Mitt Romney tried to move from being a moderate to a conservative.

I don't think it ever really took.

And I remember the biggest tell in 2012 is when he sold himself as a severe

conservative. A conservative, an actual conservative wouldn't refer to themselves as severe.

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