Newsom to head to South Carolina next week to speak to Southern voters as his flirtation with 2028 grows

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: msn/The Independent

6h


California Governor Gavin Newsom will visit Trump strongholds in South Carolina next week, in a two-day trip seen by many as a prelude to a long-rumored 2028 presidential campaign. The Democrat’s trip to the state, which went for Trump in 2024, will see him visit rural counties, including Pickens County, where the president won 76 percent of the vote last year.

South Carolina has been the first Democratic presidential primary on the calendar, and has a large share of Black voters, a core part of the Democratic base.

“Governor Newsom leads the largest economy in America and the fourth largest in the world, and he’s coming to meet folks in towns that have been hollowed out by decades of Republican control,” state Democratic party chair Christale Spain, said in a statement to The Hill on Thursday. “This is about building partnerships, uplifting communities, and showing rural voters they aren’t forgotten.”

The trip will see the governor, perhaps the country’s most prominent Democrat outside of Washington, visit settings including cafes, coffee shops, churches and the Kershaw County Council on Aging, according to an itinerary obtained by the state’s Post and Courier newspaper.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/newsom-to-head-to-south-carolina-next-week-to-speak-to-southern-voters-as-his-flirtation-with-2028-grows/ar-AA1HZwF4

[wolfie001]

1. Will he change even one republican voter's mind? That's the $64,000 question

I mean, they re-elect that closet case Graham every election. He gives them hate and bigotry and he sets the table for the orange bloated lying fraudster.

[J_William_Ryan]

2. "Will he change even one republican voter's mind?"

He doesn’t need to – it’s about winning the Democratic primary.

[SCantiGOP]

4. Correct

Obama and Biden both effectively secured their nominations in the SC primary.
And that is not a good thing. Iowa, NH and SC are three of the most atypical electorates in the country. It makes no sense to let them pick the nominees almost every election.

[DenaliDemocrat]

6. He does need to win the Electoral College

Though.

[twodogsbarking]

3. I sense a ketchup hurricane.

[DenaliDemocrat]

5. A Democrat from California

Will NEVER win the Electoral College. Ever. Even in blue states like New Mexico and Colorado, Californians are viewed as “on the fringe” and out of touch with rural/bucolic people. In a way - they are. Kim Kardashian may as well be from another country trying to compared to my Hispanic Tio and Tia.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. "Californians are viewed as 'on the fringe' and out of touch with rural/bucolic people."

You had one "native" Californian (Tricky Dick Nixon) and one "transplanted" Californian (Ronald Raygun) both get elected President for 2 terms in "landslides", although obviously both were (R)s, and corrupt as hell.

[DenaliDemocrat]

14. That was then. This is now.

California used to be a Republican state and the South used to vote Democratic. Seriously? This isn’t even an argument. How old are you? I’m assuming too young to remember these things.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. I am collecting Social Security

so I suggest you not go there with that idiotic assumption and maybe learn a thing or two when called out on your incorrect statement about anyone from California ever elected President.

The "beat" culture came out of CA in the '50s as did much of the modern and more radical Civil Rights protest movement and specifically out of Oakland. Maybe look up Bobby Seale and Huey Newton and even this woman -



She ran on the Communist Party ticket against Nixon (the same election that Shirley Chisholm was also running) -



She's still around giving speeches and interviews -



They all preceded Nixon and Raygun's ascendancy.

Your comparison of the GOP of the past and of now just underscores the ignorance.

[DenaliDemocrat]

17. Yeah, I read Howl in college

Doesn’t make your statement smart. California politics don’t play in much of the country - even the blue states.

[BumRushDaShow]

28. California is full of "transplants" of different backgrounds and political experience

So one can never "assume" what can or cannot happen.

As you should know, like here in PA, in NY, and in NJ, CA has rotated through both (D)s and (R)s as governors. I think Jerry Brown may have been the closest to being a "populist liberal", something that has taken root decades later with Bernie Sanders and other progressives, and was popular in the state (and he had multiple presidential runs - the last of which netting him some states).

[DenaliDemocrat]

29. Unless you live out west

I don’t care. East Coast politics aren’t very popular either. Again, California Democrats are not winning in much of the country and the EC is the goal.

[BumRushDaShow]

30. This country will never be a monolith

so simply dismissing your biggest population centers in the states that have some of the largest number of Electoral Votes, is foolish.

[DenaliDemocrat]

31. For fuck's sake

That strategy DOES NOT WORK and NY LOST EV’s. We need candidates that can appeal to Midwest and Western voters.

[BumRushDaShow]

33. What we NEED is to follow Tip O'Neill's exhortation

"All politics are local".

When there were periods when Democrats had concentrated power in some states, the corruption eventually accelerated along with the infighting and eventually the other side taking advantage. This happened in TX as we went from the likes of LBJ and Ann Richards to Shrub, Perry, and Abbott.

However, this same phenomena is, interestingly enough, starting to happen in states like TX (where the state legislature has attempted several times to impeach Paxton) and it has been happening in FL, where the legislature has started bucking DeSantis.

Much of our state party infrastructure is either broken or non-existent. If we can bolster that, then we will be able to better recruit candidates across all 50 states, to run for office and not just insist on one perspective as "it".

It was obvious that Tim Walz didn't appeal as a "midwesterner" who looked and dressed and acted like the people you claim control the electorate. And the fact that a native born jackass from the "blue state" of New York - and not just from the state in general, but from the blue city of New York (Queens borough), has won the Presidency now twice, belies your argument. And no, 45 is NOT from Florida or the midwest, if you missed that fact.

[DenaliDemocrat]

39. People don't base their vote on the VP

But nice try.

[BumRushDaShow]

40. I guarantee that quite a few DID do such

when Biden was running as Obama's VP because before that, black candidates were lucky to maybe get 30% of the white vote. But you knew that, right?

[Miguelito Loveless]

24. The Republicans/Democrats of that era

has little to do with the realities of today's parties. While certainly conservative, Reagan/Nixon would be considered Communists by today's MAGA faithful. And pre-civi rights Southern Dems moved to the Republican party in order to keep being racists.

[maxsolomon]

18. Bucolic people?

Californians INVENTED Bucolic people.

[DenaliDemocrat]

32. Yeah LA is bucolic.

[fujiyamasan]

38. We just saw how well a CA democrat does

I don’t see Newsom doing considerably better than Harris.

Neighboring states especially hate Californians, I don’t see AZ or NV for example voting for one of us. It’s almost reflexive. Driving up the cost of real estate alone has given many people an excuse to hate people from here.

[Miguelito Loveless]

7. I am happy Newsome is standing up to Trump,

But we don’t need another Sinema/Fetterman.

[maxsolomon]

19. Newsom is anything but that.

He's not Bernie Sanders or Ilhan Omar, either.

SOMEONE has to be the DEM nominee. Wouldn't you like someone with charisma for a change?

[Miguelito Loveless]

22. I have no desire to be sold out by a charismatic

Newsome is a mixed bag. He started off on all the right notes, then turned on the immigrant community and kow-towed to Big Oil.

Hard to trust a Dem who gives a platform to Steve Bannon, and makes all of those "we have to work with our colleagues across the aisle" nonsense.

[maxsolomon]

23. I prefer to win.

I'd rather be "sold out" by a charismatic Dem than have another sociopathic Republican President.

It's Newsom. No E on the end.

[Miguelito Loveless]

25. Thank you for the correction on his name

I have watched the Dems keep shifting to the middle for so long, that they are in essence Rockerfeller Republicans.

Anyone prepared to throw trans people and immigrants to the wolves for political expediency is NOT someone I want to represent me. But, given the current Dem leadership, you will probably get your wish for him as a nominee. Whether he can win remains to be seen. The party of late has mastered snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[fujiyamasan]

36. Who is your preferred candidate then?

Newsom has hardly thrown immigrants and trans people under the bus. That’s perhaps the most ridiculous assertion I’ve heard.

And I’m not even in support of him running for president.

[Miguelito Loveless]

41. Newsom get my vote, reluctantly, if they decide to lose again

Of course, this assumes actual, fair elections, and Trump ceding power. These are far from certainties.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-17/gavin-newsom-lgbtq-pardon-california-crimes
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/us/newsom-budget-immigrant-health.html
https://thehill.com/homenews/lgbtq/5180521-newsom-trans-athletes-womens-sports/

This documents Newsom’s pushing “energy reform” pretty much written by the oil industry.
https://folsomtimes.com/solar-owners-could-face-new-fees-as-cpuc-responds-to-newsom-order/

Also, ANYONE providing a platform to the likes of Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk are not people I am willing support except in extremis. My preferred candidate? Pete Budigieg.

[tazcat]

8. Won't vote for him. No more corp. dems. Enough of their grift!

[maxsolomon]

20. So you'll vote for JD Vance? Musk's candidate? Not vote at all?

Because Newsom is a "Corporate Dem"? Got it.

"Welcome to DU".

[Red Mountain]

9. Of course he'd have my vote as the nominee

but I'm hoping we can do better.

[Dulcinea]

11. Newsom is testing the waters.

If he can get traction in a solid red state like SC, that bodes well for him.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

12. He should practice with NC, they're a little more refined up there.

Well, a little,, maybe. LOL.

[fujiyamasan]

13. I live in CA. He's not a bad governor.

And of course, he’s not as extreme as FOX plays it. He has vetoed some truly stupid stuff by the state legislature too and some mayors haven’t been very cooperative with him as well. He has shown leadership through several crises while dealing with a president who wants to destroy this state. I do like that he’s willing to take on a fight and he doesn’t back down easily.

He’d make a good president, but it’s hard to get past the CA label and he comes off a little too slick. I’d be surprised if he can connect with folks in some of these other states. I just don’t see it.

[maxsolomon]

21. I look at the rest of the Dem field, and "a little slick" might be just what we need.

Who's even close in terms of charisma? Charisma wins.

[LudwigPastorius]

16. _

[Diamond_Dog]

26. Republicans hate anything to do with California

I doubt he will change any minds. Unless some miracle happens.

[maxsolomon]

34. Republicans don't vote in Democratic Primaries.

African American women in South Carolina do, and they can be decisive in who gets enough momentum to win the nomination. They were in 2000.

[Diamond_Dog]

35. Oh oops sorry, my bad.

[fujiyamasan]

37. This is true, especially if the calendar stays the same

With SC being so early in the process.

He’s smart to try to go there first, but I really gotta wonder how Mr. French laundry will connect at all the state fairs and corn dog eating contests or whatever the fuck pandering goes on (the latter is probably more of a thing at a GOP Primary and probably in Iowa).

[SSJVegeta]

27. Nothankyou