Former Inmate Lauds Newsom for Release, Eyes 2028 Vote

A recent street interview is stoking discussion around criminal justice reforms in California. A man, claiming to be an ex- prisoner, expressed his intention to back Governor Gavin Newsom in a forthcoming presidential race, crediting his early release.

This exchange occurred in a video by independent journalist Nick Shirley, who queried pedestrians about their voting intentions for Newsom in 2028. A middle-aged man, wearing blue shorts, gave a surprising response.

“I vote for him because he got me released. I’m coming home from a life sentence,” he stated, leaving Shirley visibly astonished.

When pressed for more details, the man remarked that Newsom “signed off saying I’m fit for society.” He reiterated his support for the California governor in future elections, mentioning his past convictions for “murder, carjacking, and robbery.”

WATCH:

Nick Shirley is shocked when a California man says of Gavin Newsom, “I’d vote for him because he got me released, coming home from a life sentence… He didn’t hold me back.”

Shirley: “What were you locked up for?”

Man: “Murder, carjacking and robbery.”pic.twitter.com/yvXiGaIgj3

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 25, 2026

This brief interaction quickly gained traction online, drawing strong responses, especially from conservative voices who highlighted the overall trend toward criminal justice reform under Newsom.

Since beginning his term in 2019, Newsom has granted over 150 commutations and endorsed expanded parole eligibility tied to reforms like Proposition 57. This voter-approved measure from 2016 allows specific nonviolent offenders to qualify for early parole and encourages rehabilitation for good behavior.

As Newsom shapes his national profile, his criminal justice record is likely to become a point of contention—celebrated by some as progressive reform while critiqued by others as overreaching.

REACTIONS:

Democrats let criminals out of jail for their votes.

Just like they let criminals into the country for their votes.

— JKash 🍊MAGA Queen (@JKash000) March 25, 2026

We’re so broken. I’m a Christian. So I’ll pray for even the worst offenders to repent and be saved. But we’ve become a society that sympathizes with the criminals and not the victims. And it happens far too often.

— MAGAPatriotNY (@TrumpPatriotNY) March 25, 2026

Gavin Newsom and the Democrats have pretty much locked up the votes of dead Americans and felons.

Maybe one day soon they’ll start trying to appeal to alive, law-abiding Americans too.

— Heartland Grump – Unfiltered (@heartland_grump) March 25, 2026

Usually, when things are so absurd they’re not real. But California is so absurd to begin with, that none of this is even slightly surprising. Gavin Newsom has torched the state.

— Exit the Left (@_ExitTheLeft) March 25, 2026