Gov. Gavin Newsom keeps promoting President Biden, but it’s his future that takes center stage

If there was one man Thursday night who stayed poised and on message, it was the one off the debate stage, waiting in the wings.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was in Atlanta for the debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. A surrogate for the president, Newsom’s job — like others sent to the frenetic spin room by both candidates’ teams — was to highlight the positives of Biden’s debate performance.

But it was Newsom — who has shied away from frankly discussing...