The California governor said conservative figures have tapped into young men’s frustrations and mobilized them.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said this week that Democrats should look to the late conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s outreach to young men as a model for their own party.
In a public conversation with former President Bill Clinton, Newsom said that conservative figures have tapped into young men’s frustrations and mobilized them—including Kirk, who was assassinated during a public event in Utah this month. Newsom said Democrats need to confront what he described as a “crisis of men and boys” both to help those men and to stay competitive in politics.
Governor Gavin Newsom on Charlie Kirk, building bridges, and how to support young men and boys.
“Charlie Kirk’s ability, what he was able to achieve in terms of organizing the campuses, engaging these young men, addressing their grievances, giving them some sense of hope that someone cared, that they mattered, that they were seen,” Newsom said. “He was able to produce and organize around that in a deeply meaningful way. And the Democratic Party was nowhere to be found on the issue.”
Kirk’s organization Turning Point USA reached out to young people around the country through events on college campuses—where Kirk debated with those who disagreed with him on various issues. Kirk is one of many conservative voices credited with helping reach young conservatives in 2024’s presidential election, where President Donald Trump garnered 56 percent of the vote among young men, according to a Tufts University poll.
The exchange with Newsom came after Clinton noted that fewer young men are going to college and asked what California is doing to support them. Newsom said the state has created a service corps larger than the Peace Corps and has rolled out a plan targeting men’s mental health, education, and job training.
The governor cited high suicide rates among men, school dropouts, and loneliness among young men, and said some Democrats hesitate to address men’s issues because they think they compete with efforts to help women.
By Chase Smith
