Gov. Gavin Newsom sounded the alarm final week on President Trump ordering a federal investigation into the governor, his spouse and their associates, however these in Newsom’s internal orbit might have heard a distinct sound: cha-ching!
Inside hours of releasing a video accusing the president of weaponizing the Division of Justice, Newsom’s political motion committee, Marketing campaign for Democracy, despatched out an e-mail pleading for cash to assist along with his potential authorized protection and political technique — the most recent money seize for the PAC devoted to elevating his fame with mass textual content blasts, a ebook tour, pro-Newsom merch and podcast promotion, all whereas spreading the wealth to his allies.
Officers near Newsom declined to say how a lot he has raised within the final week, however federal marketing campaign data exhibits he has used the PAC and its related entities — Marketing campaign for Democracy Committee and Marketing campaign for Democracy Group — to pay for thousands and thousands in digital promoting because the California governor seeks to boost his nationwide profile.
Newsom additionally has used the PACs to pay tons of of hundreds of {dollars} present and former staffers within the Governor’s Workplace, coated greater than $90,000 in podcasting bills and underwrote his latest ebook tour, renting out venues and spending greater than $1.5 million on copies of “A Younger Man in a Hurry.”
By the top of March, the Marketing campaign for Democracy PAC already had $7.7 million in money. However mixed with two different entities — the Marketing campaign for Democracy Group and the Marketing campaign for Democracy Committee — Newsom’s federal conflict chest totaled nearly $14.5 million as of this spring.
The PACs, which have been shaped in 2023, have spent thousands and thousands on political promoting, polling, and supported different Democratic candidates whereas boosting Newsom’s profile forward of his anticipated White Home run in 2028.
Among the many greatest beneficiaries are Aisle 518 Methods, a digital promoting agency that has acquired greater than $4.5 million from the Marketing campaign for Democracy PAC.
The Marketing campaign for Democracy Group despatched greater than $4.07 million to Aisle 518 Methods whereas additionally paying about $350,000 to Newsom’s longtime consultants at Bearstar Methods.
The cash to Aisle 518 Methods included torching greater than $800,000 in July 2024 on mass textual content massaging marketing campaign to assist Joe Biden simply days earlier than the previous president dropped out of the 2024 race as a result of well being issues.
Lindsey Cobia, Newsom’s former senior counselor and an adviser who serves as treasurer of all three Marketing campaign for Democracy entities, acquired roughly $334,000 in funds in 2025 alone from the PAC, together with a single salary-and-bonus fee of greater than $213,000 in December.
Abigail Prizmich, the Sacramento Kings’ director of communications and exterior affairs and a former Newsom administration official, acquired nearly $27,000 throughout late 2025 on prime of her NBA gig, and he or she continued drawing hundreds of {dollars} in funds in 2026.
Izzy Gardon, Newsom’s lead spokesperson within the governor’s workplace, declined to say how a lot has been raised since final week, however he additionally seems to now be working for the PAC, primarily based on e-mail exchanges with The Put up. Brandon Richards, one other communications operative within the governor’s workplace, acquired roughly $27,000 from the PAC in late 2025 and one other $9,300 in journey reimbursements this 12 months.
The Marketing campaign for Democracy PAC intends to fight Trump and take an lively function within the 2026 midterm elections, in response to officers.
In the meantime, Mackenzie Smith, an worker of the governor’s workplace who handles communications for Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s California Companions Challenge, additionally acquired a journey reimbursement of practically $3,400 from the political operation.
Dan Schnur, a professor of political communications at USC and UC Berkeley, advised The Put up that Newsom’s actions with PAC cash could also be authorized, however it represents “the kind of conduct that makes most voters so disdainful of politics and politicians.”
He added that Newsom was good to go on the offensive in accusing Trump of weaponizing the Division of Justice earlier than any investigation was introduced.
“Newsom and his crew understood that defending even the authorized exercise was not going to look significantly good for him, so as a substitute he couched this in purely partisan phrases,” Schnur mentioned.
“Newsom is basically saying, ‘Don’t decide me on my actions, decide me on my opponents.’”
Extra not too long ago, data present Newsom’s political committees helped finance the governor’s ebook rollout, which included hawking kneepads with Trump’s signature to additional fund his PAC.
Marketing campaign for Democracy PAC spent tens of hundreds of {dollars} renting out venues throughout the nation whereas the Marketing campaign for Democracy Committee bought greater than $1.56 million price of books from Milwaukee-based Porchlight E book Firm alone.
Further expenditures flowed to bookstores throughout the nation, together with areas in San Francisco, Brooklyn, Nashville, Washington, D.C., Austin, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Pasadena.
Newsom’s private monetary disclosures in March present his company, Elyse Cheney Literary Associates, paid him greater than $100,000 for “publication fee and royalties.” It’s unclear if the Newsom PAC’s purchases of his memoir might have led him to receiving higher royalty funds.
