Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) believes Democrats need to rein in some of their cultural policies if they want to win over more voters.

“I think there’s a broader narrative that we should address,” Newsom said Wednesday at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit. “We have to be more culturally normal. We have to be a little less judgmental.”

The governor of California did not explain in detail what he meant by “culturally normal,” but he has recently criticized what he calls “woke culture.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Democrats must get more
California Governor Gavin Newsom said Democrats must become more “culturally normal” if they want to win future elections.

Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images

In the March debut of his podcast, “This Is Gavin Newsom,” he questioned why pronouns have become standard in intros and mocked the term “Latinx,” despite having used it himself many times in the past.

In that same episode, Newsom said it was “deeply unfair” for trans women and girls to compete in women’s sports, prompting accusations of hypocrisy and political pandering toward a politician who once presented himself as a champion of LGBTQ+ rights during the fight for marriage equality.

But Newsom also told conference attendees that social issues were not the only area where Democrats were out of step with voters, adding that the party had failed to address concerns about immigration, inflation and its unwavering support for Israel.

Returning to economic populism at the end of his remarks, the governor said any Democratic “comeback” would depend on offering Americans a “compelling economic vision.”

If “we don’t democratize our economy, we won’t save democracy,” Newsom said.