by Robert Schmad
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Campaign for Democracy PAC raised over $9.5 million in 2023, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show.
The bulk of Campaign for Democracy’s 2023 revenue, about $6.2 million, was transferred from Newsom’s gubernatorial committee while the remaining $3.3 million came from individual contributions, according to FEC records. Though the majority of the PAC’s spending went toward advertisements, it also spent thousands of dollars on luxury travel expenses and gourmet food.
Newsom’s PAC is relatively new, having been founded in March 2023, according to FEC records.
Campaign for Democracy spent $2.6 million on advertisements in 2023, FEC records show. Many of the PAC’s ads were focused on criticizing Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
One ad, for example, hit the Florida governor for his stance on abortion. Campaign for Democracy accused DeSantis of wanting to imprison doctors and women complicit in abortions.
Abortion is illegal in Florida after the point where a fetus’ heartbeat is generally detectable.
While most of the PAC’s 2023 expenditures went toward advertisements, the committee also used its treasury to pay for stays at luxury hotels.
Campaign for Democracy spent about $2,500 at the Waldorf Astoria in Park City, Utah. The Waldorf is a five-star ski resort that has an on-location restaurant that serves dishes like “guajillo-rubbed buffalo tenderloin, Andean quinoa with sweet potato and black beans and scallop and rabbit agnolotti,” according to Forbes Travel Guide.
The PAC spent an additional $2,300 at the Oxford Hotel in Bend, Oregon. The hotel’s website boasts about offering its “sophisticated guests the pinnacle of luxury.”
Campaign for Democracy also spent $3,500 at the 21C Museum Hotel in Bentonville, Arkansas. The hotel offers guests access to a built-in modern art museum, according to its website.
The PAC’s travel expenses appear to line up with its donation activities.
Campaign for Democracy collectively gave $40,000 to the Democratic parties of Oregon, Utah, Arkansas and Idaho. The PAC incurred travel expenses in all four of those states.
Campaign for Democracy also spent nearly $6,000 on food and beverages in 2023, including at luxury restaurants like Firewood on Main in Utah.
The rest of the PAC’s spending was split among polling, campaign consulting, payroll, processing fees and legal services, among other things.
While some have speculated that Newsom may have his eye on the White House in 2024, even pointing to his PAC as evidence of his ambitions, the California governor has committed to backing President Joe Biden’s reelection bid.
Campaign for Democracy PAC did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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Robert Schmad is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Gavin Newsom” by Gavin Newsom.
