LOS ANGELES — Gavin Newsom is trolling his way into the collective hearts of the Democratic Party’s most influential activists.
As the Democratic National Committee opened its winter meeting here, a throng of delegates jockeyed for selfies with the California governor for more than half an hour before his aides pulled him away for meetings — the crowds surrounding him growing so large at various points that Newsom resorted to group pictures.
It was a parlaying of Newsom’s bombastic social media posture into an in-real-life commotion at the DNC — coming in his own backyard, where questions have swirled about whether his decidedly West Coast affect will translate to a broader audience. And it was the newest sign of the likely 2028 presidential contender’s influence in the party, according to interviews with more than 20 DNC members on Thursday…