Gavin Newsom is making a strategic visit to a key primary state, raising eyebrows

California Gov. Gavin Newsom heads to South Carolina this week to spend two days meeting with voters in the state that officially held the first primary in the Democrats’ 2024 calendar.

The trip by the term-limited governor with a large national profile is sure to spark plenty of 2028 speculation, since Newsom is considered a potential contender for the next Democratic presidential nomination.

The South Carolina Democratic Party, which announced the two-day swing, said Newsom will take part Tuesday and Wednesday in meet and greets, to shake hands and take questions, during eight stops in cafes, coffee shops and churches.

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“The SCDP presents On The Road with Gavin Newsom. We’re making stops across the state to talk with families all over SC. It’s your chance to connect, be heard, and feel seen,” the state party wrote in a social media post last week.

It’s part of the state party’s effort to bring national Democrats to parts of South Carolina that they say have long been overlooked and “left behind” by Republican officials in the GOP-dominated state.

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“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 party chair Christale Spain said in a statement.

Newsom stopped in South Carolina in January of last year to campaign on behalf of then-President Joe Biden during the state’s 2024 presidential primary. Newsom also traveled to Nevada, another early-voting state in the party’s primary calendar.

And Newsom also traveled last summer on behalf of Biden to New Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. 

The former president was the Democrats’ 2024 standardbearer before dropping out of the race last July following a disastrous debate performance against now-President Donald Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris replaced Biden at the top of the Democratic national ticket.

South Carolina, New Hampshire and Nevada are vying for the lead-off position in the next presidential election cycle, and the Democratic National Committee is expected to decide on their 2028 calendar by early 2027.

Newsom has long been thought to harbor national ambitions and is considered one of many Democrats who may make a run for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination.

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The two-day swing through South Carolina will give Newsom an opportunity to make connections not only with voters, but also with local party and elected officials. The relationships forged this week could possibly pay dividends down the road for Newsom if he eventually decides to launch a 2028 presidential campaign.