It's a common refrain for critics of Gov. Gavin Newsom: Focus on your job.

The jabs have grown louder this year as Newsom launched a new weekly political podcast and traveled to other states that could be pivotal in a potential presidential campaign. A poll in May found that twice as many California voters believe the governor is devoting more attention to boosting his national profile than fixing the problems of the state.

"If he wants to prove to the United States that he would be a good president, why doesn't he start by leading and actually running the state of California?" then-Republican Assemblymember Bill Essayli, who has since been appointed a U.S. attorney, said in a March appearance on Fox News.

But it's difficult to evaluate what effect Newsom's extracurricular activities ha

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