Gov. Gavin Newsom tells Black voters, ‘I’m like you,’ adding, ‘I’m a 960 SAT guy…I cannot read’

“He’s a great wordsmith, so I was kind of bothered by the way that he said it,” Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross told theGrio.

Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California, is facing criticism after recently telling a Black audience in Atlanta that he is just like them because he scored low on the SAT and “cannot read.”

“‘I’m not trying to impress you. I’m just trying to impress upon you. I’m like you,” said Governor Newsom during a Sunday event in Atlanta, moderated by Mayor Andre Dickens, promoting his memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery.”

He continued, “I’m no better than you. You know, I’m a 960 SAT guy…you’ve never seen me read a speech because I cannot read a speech.”

Newsom’s comments were about the challenges he faced during his childhood with dyslexia, a learning disability that he still struggles with; however, his attempt to relate to the audience was met with swift backlash from both the political left and the right.

“Governor Gavin Newsom went to Atlanta and told a crowd that he is ‘just like’ them, he had a 960 SAT, that he can’t read speeches. How insulting. Working class people believe politicians are out of touch because they don’t worry about the cost or rent or medical bills,” said Nina Turner, former Democratic state senator and congressional candidate from Ohio.

“Black Americans aren’t your low bar. We’ve built empires, created movements, outworked, outhustled and outsmarted people like you. Stop using your mediocre academics as a way to patronize communities. Its ridiculous!” said Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott.

Responding to a post from Fox News anchor Sean Hannity, Gov. Newsom pushed back against the criticism on X, writing, “You didn’t give a sh-t about the President of the United States of America posting an ape video of President Obama or calling African nations sh-tholes — but you’re going to call me racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia? Spare me your fake f–king outrage, Sean.”

Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross tells theGrio that, while she is “disappointed” by Newsom’s remarks, she believes his intent was to shed light on a very real literacy issue in America.

“He’s a great wordsmith, so I was kind of bothered by the way that he said it,” said Cross. “I do think that there is something to be said about that, but that’s not just in Atlanta, and that’s not just in Black communities.”

She explained, “America has literacy challenges. The NAEP scores and the National Report Card showcase that the overwhelming majority of American kids are stuck in a space where we’re behind by nearly three decades…[and] the majority of adults don’t read above the 5th or 6th grade level.”

Expressing surprise with Newsom’s delivery, the Democratic strategist said she thinks of Newsom, a likely 2028 presidential candidate, as someone who “thinks before he speaks.”

“[He] fundamentally understands diversity and some of the negative connotations around education, specifically when you’re talking about Black people, and specifically in this era of the American consciousness where Donald J. Trump is out here arguing that Black people are in certain spaces and places just because of the color of their skin and DEI and not their intellectual capacity,” said Cross.

Bakari Sellers, a longtime political analyst and former Democratic state representative in South Carolina, said of Newsom’s comments, “Dems must stop doing dumb sh-t.”

He wrote on X, “I have my issues with @GavinNewsom, but he’s the furthest thing from a racist. His story about overcoming dyslexia is powerful and endearing one I wish he’d lean into more. His remarks show a blindness and were inartful. But leave it there. Donald Trump is racist. Gavin is not.”