California gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom bragged about implementing a plan to provide universal health care to illegal immigrants in San Francisco and suggested the program be expanded during an interview on “Pod Save America.”

WATCH:

Newsom began the interview by broadly advocating for the implementation of a single-payer system, which he said has had very poor leadership efforts.

“The only way in a state whose population’s larger than 163 nations — California’s economy is larger than all but four nations, the fifth largest economy — to approximate a strategy for universal health care is with the support and concurrence of the governor, and that’s frankly — it’s not an indictment — it’s just what’s been missing in the past,” Newsom said.

The hopeful-Governor then shifted to his record on the matter, recalling his time as mayor of San Francisco.

“I did universal health care when I was mayor, fully implemented regardless pre-existing condition, ability to pay and regardless of your immigration status. San Francisco is the only universal health-care plan for all undocumented residents in America, very proud of that, and we proved it can be done without bankrupting in the city. I’d like to see that we can extend that to the rest of the state,” Newsom concluded.

According to RealClearPolitics, Newsom leads his opponent by nearly 24 points.

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