California is not as progressive as you might hope. The cities are full of progressives, but outside the cities is very conservative. You have to be fairly moderate to win statewide office.

Newsom was a reaction to Trump, but sort of an aberration. More than half of our governors have been Republicans, including Regan, who went on be President and a paragon of the GOP.

Since the 80s 14 out of 30 years has been Republicans, and Jerry Brown was 10 of the remaining 16 years, and he's pretty moderate as far as Democrats go.