Gavin Newsom Publicly Rejects AIPAC Support Ahead of 2028 Race

Gavin Newsom has publicly rejected support from AIPAC, signaling how politically charged backing Israel has become within the Democratic Party.

“Never have and never will,” Newsom said when asked whether he would take money from AIPAC.

The statement marked a clear shift in tone from October, when he hesitated during a podcast appearance after an interviewer said he would not vote for any candidate who accepts AIPAC support. At the time, Newsom repeated “It’s interesting” several times and said AIPAC was “not relevant” to his “day-to-day life,” without directly answering the question.

His firmer response comes as Israel policy has grown increasingly divisive among Democrats following October 7. Support for Israel has declined among Democratic voters compared to previous years, and party leaders have faced mounting pressure from activists critical of Israeli military policy.

Newsom has no record of receiving donations from AIPAC. A filing from his 2003 San Francisco mayoral campaign showed a $500 payment to the organization listed as a “civic donation.” AIPAC has historically focused on federal races, and Newsom has run only in statewide contests since 2018.

The California governor has long presented himself as supportive of Israel while also drawing distinctions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He was the first sitting mayor of San Francisco to visit Israel in 2008. Less than two weeks after the October 7 Hamas attack, he traveled to Israel again and met with Netanyahu and other senior officials.

Back home, as pro-Palestinian protests spread across California campuses in 2024, Newsom signed legislation requiring public universities to update their codes of conduct and implement mandatory anti-discrimination training due to rising antisemitic incidents. He also approved a measure aimed at limiting the distribution of threatening flyers.

Earlier this year, Newsom said he is “crystal clear in my love for Israel and my condemnation of Bibi [Netanyahu], and there’s a distinction.” In a January podcast with commentator Ben Shapiro, he said “there was a dehumanization” in Netanyahu’s rhetoric about Palestinians. He rejected accusations of genocide but said he understood “the tendency for people to assert” that claim.

Even his latest rejection of AIPAC has not quieted criticism from the left. Rep. Ro Khanna argued earlier this year that Newsom “doesn’t want to offend the AIPAC donors,” accusing him of protecting donor interests.

The activist group Track AIPAC responded to Newsom’s new statement by arguing that distancing himself from the lobby is not enough. “Gavin Newsom is a former AIPAC donor,” the group wrote online. “He refuses to acknowledge the genocide in Gaza, attempted to crush pro-Palestine protests, and still supports unconditional aid to Israel. He will never be president.”

Track AIPAC co-founder Cory Archibald called Newsom’s remark a sign of shifting political winds. “I would also like us to take a collective moment to appreciate what a feat it is that Gavin Newsom feels he has to come out, in February 2026, to state that he rejects AIPAC,” she wrote. “We will make AIPAC money the defining issue of the 2028 race. Watch.”

Newsom is widely viewed as preparing for a presidential run in 2028 and has spent the past year expanding his national profile, hosting conservative figures such as Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon on his podcast while touring red states to promote his book.