Gov. Gavin Newsom’s victory in California’s election fight over U.S. House control will help raise his national profile as a Democrat willing to confront President Donald Trump.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing a backlash from members of his own party after a series of podcasts that featured Steve Bannon and other supporters of President Donald Trump.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)LOS ANGELES – California Republicans eager to recall Democratic Gov. The head of the state Republican Party, Jessica Millan Patterson, is being challenged at a GOP convention this weekend by longtime conservative activist Steve Frank, who says the state party is attempting to silence conservative voices. Ad“This is California’s version of the national battle for the soul and the future of the Republican Party,” said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego. But “just when the Republican Party in California is showing signs of life, it’s deciding to cannibalize itself,” Kousser added. For long-suffering California Republicans, party infighting could divide their ranks and make it more challenging to oust Newsom.