Stephen A. Smith issues brutal wake up call to Democrats after California elections — and takes potshot at Newsom

Stephen A. Smith has issued a scathing warning to Democrats after their mixed performances across California’s elections this week.

“A message has been sent and that message that’s been sent is very, very simple,” he said. “If people in a blue state like California are seriously entertaining putting Republicans in charge, could you imagine what other states in this union are contemplating doing?”

“Could you imagine what an indictment that is against Democrats everywhere?” he added.

Smith was referring particularly to the performance in the governor’s and mayor’s races, where conservative candidates appear to have made gains as ballots continue to be counted.

Trump-endorsed Fox News host Steve Hilton picked up a large number of votes and leads in the state’s gubernatorial primary.

While the race has not been called, it appears Hilton will likely qualify as one of the contenders under California’s jungle primary system, where the top two vote-getters advance to the November election.

Democratic front-runner Xavier Becerra is trailing in second place. With 56 percent of the vote counted, Hilton leads with 27.6 percent of the vote, while Becerra and billionaire activist Tom Steyer have 25.6 percent and 19.8 percent, respectively, as of Thursday morning, according to the Associated Press.

A large number of mail-in ballots still remain to be counted, and those ballots have historically tended to favor Democrats.

With a crowded Democratic field and a significant voter registration advantage, Democrats had hoped to lock Republicans out of the general election, but that has not happened.

“Let me tell you something right now. If Hilton wins the gubernatorial race and Pratt wins the mayor’s seat [in Los Angeles], Gavin Newsom has NO chance at the presidency in 2028. ZERO!” Smith said.

In the tight race for Los Angeles mayor, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass has already qualified for November’s runoff after capturing nearly 35 percent of the vote.

Reality TV star Spencer Pratt and City Councilwoman Nithya Raman are still vying for the second spot in the runoff, with roughly 30 percent and 22 percent of the vote, respectively.

There are about 700,000 ballots left to be counted, and another vote update is expected Thursday evening. While the race for second place has not yet been called, Pratt appears confident he will qualify.

“If that happens, he has no chance,” Smith said about Newsom’s presidential prospects in 2028. “Because to indict California is to indict him. He’s been the governor since 2018. Fair or unfair, that’s how it is and everybody needs to accept that. That’s the way it goes.”

Newsom has been weighing a presidential run in 2028 as he approaches the end of his term as governor. He has steadily raised his national profile through international appearances, a book tour, and high-profile clashes with the federal government and President Donald Trump.

Newsom is among the leaders in early polling for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.

A recent Emerson College poll found him in second place at 16 percent, just two points behind former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, among a field that includes former Vice President Kamala Harris and several other prominent Democrats.

Smith, who is not a politician, has floated the idea of running for president and has said that if he entered the race, he would position himself as a moderate rather than strictly as a Democrat or Republican.

He has said he would seek the Democratic Party’s nomination.

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