Once again the time has come for this column’s prestigious Politician of the Year Award.
For the past 15 years, I’ve crowned the politician who — whether good or bad — had the biggest impact on American politics that year.
I usually announce my picks after Thanksgiving, so I can stay one step ahead of Time magazine’s Person of the Year. But this year, my timetable has been pushed forward. The winner is now clear, in light of last week’s passage of Proposition 50 in California, “Election Fraud Response Act,
The winner of the 2025 Politician of the Year award is Gavin Newsom.
The Golden State governor gets an award because he led the way in getting the national Democratic Party back on its feet.
Newsom rang the bell after Democrats fell to their knees with self-loathing after their 2024 defeat to President Trump. Seeing Republicans take control of the House, the Senate and the White House left Democrats frustrated and disappointed.
But Newsom stood up and punched back. In 2025 he mocked Trump with parodies of Trump’s social media memes. Newsom trolled Trump by making Trump-style insult brags in all-caps on social media.
is here One: “Final warning Donald Trump… stop cheating or California will be redone” [CONGRESSIONAL MAPS]And guess who will announce it this week? Gavin Newsom (many say the most likable and handsome governor).”
But Newsom’s biggest victory was convincing voters in his state to oppose Trump’s plan to hold midterm elections in 2026.
Trump fears defeat in next year’s midterms Republicans are pushing to eliminate Draw as many Democratic-leaning districts as possible to improve Republican chances for maintaining their House majority.
Trump’s use of that devious strategy has harmed some Republican majority states, especially texasRedrawing their congressional districts to narrow down potential wins for Democrats.
Newsom’s smart response was to pave the way for California to add five new seats in favor of the Democrats. their referendum was a winner With California voters last week. And it set an example. Virginia’s newly elected governor Abigail Spanberger Support has already been expressed To redraw your state’s maps to give Democrats three additional seats.
Trump had been avoiding changing the rules in the middle of the decade until Newsom took action.
Since Trump’s return to the White House earlier this year, frustrated Democrats have been seeking a leader to fight against Trump’s authoritarianism. This disappointment explains the Democrats’ extremely low approval ratings. Those who are registered Democrats disapprove of his leadership’s lack of fight.
But it is now clear that the Democrats in the states are full of fight.
Illinois Gov. JB PritzkerStood in front of masked ICE agentsTerrorizing Chicago residents. Zohran Mamdani won the New York mayoral race, despite Trump’s efforts to portray him as “the one.”a little communistAfter winning the mayor’s election, Mamdani spoke directly to Trump in his victory speech.telling him “I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn up the volume.”
And in addition to standing in opposition to Trump’s mid-decade redistricting, Newsom has supported aggressive litigation Against Trump’s use of the National Guard to intimidate people in states led by Democrats.
At the beginning of the year, Newsom had to risk backlash from his fellow Democrats Launching a PodcastFeaturing candid conversations with Trump-friendly conservatives. their first guest was charlie kirkRight-wing provocateur who was later tragically injured murder ,
Republicans deride Newsom as a California liberal who is blamed for high taxes and the state’s housing crisis. it was criticized a lot Dining without a mask at a fancy restaurant in California Despite limits being imposed on indoor gatherings and mask mandates during the COVID-19 crisis. and the California Coastal Commission is often a target of conservativesFor the slow pace in approving new construction. Golden State regulatory agencies are described in the book as case studies in bureaucratic dysfunction.abundance ,” by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson.
But Newsom is now well-positioned as a bridge in 2026 to bridge the party’s ideological divide between progressive activists and moderates.
As mayor of San Francisco, he supported gay marriage legalizationIt was upheld a decade ago by the Supreme Court in 2015 — bold and ahead of its time during the George W. Bush era. He supports access to abortion, gun control, and a higher minimum wage.
After last week’s victory, Newsom has a deep bench of like-minded Democrats who could consider becoming his running mate on the 2028 ticket.
With moderate Democrats winning gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, Newsom could bring a similar, reasonable energy to the presidential race in 2028.
And the tall, telegenic politician appreciates the importance of image in this age of social media.
Newsom also has access to major donors in California. And if the Democratic primary calendar Keeps elements of Biden-era rules This could favor Newsom in early contests in the South and West.
And he can tell voters everywhere that he succeeded in keeping the door open for his party to a successful midterm election in 2026.
last years Politician of the Year was former Representative Liz Cheney(R-Wyo.). Along with his father, the late Vice President Dick Cheney, he was shunned from his own party as the price for opposing Trump’s return.
This year’s winner, Newsom, is her opposite — the future face of her own party.
Juan Williams is a senior political analyst for Fox News Channel and an award-winning civil rights historian. He is the author of the new book “”New Prize for These Eyes: The Rise of America’s Second Civil Rights Movement,
