California Gov. Gavin Newsom is out of state, speaking to voters in churches and coffee shops in South Carolina in what many see as another step towards a presidential run, although he refused to comment directly on the 2028 race.
It’s a two-day trip to the Palmetto State, with Newsom urging local Democratic leaders and voters to assert themselves in the current political moment and focus their efforts on the upcoming 2026 midterm races.
On Tuesday, Newsom made five stops in the northeast corner of South Carolina. One of those stops was at LilJazzi’s Cafe in the city of Florence.
“So my call to you is to recognize that you can shape the future. The future is not just some experience. It’s something to manifest. The future is inside of you. It’s decisions, not conditions, that will determine our fate and future,” the Democratic governor said during his visit. “You have that capacity because you have the one thing Donald Trump doesn’t have, one thing Donald Trump’s never exercised. He may have the formal authority of the United States. You have the moral authority.”
Newsom also spoke about the recent natural disasters and pushed back against bringing politics into the discussion of the events in Texas.
“I was on the receiving end of that,” Newsom said, speaking about the politicization of the California wildfires and the criticism he received from Republican officials. “That was extraordinary. By these same guys, but they will never implicate me into their ways. I choose not to be that way. It’s not a time for politics. It’s a time for support. And I support Greg Abbott. I support the lieutenant governor.”
Andrena Mullins is the owner of LilJazzi’s Cafe. She described herself as politically neutral but also sees the U.S. as a country in need of change.
“I’m going to top it off with one word — we need love,” Mullins said.
Newsom was joined by Congressman Jim Clyburn for his last stop of the day Tuesday in Kershaw County. In his introduction, Clyburn sang Newsom’s praises, calling him a “wise man” and a “great American” for making the visit to South Carolina.
However, Newsom did not feel the love of all South Carolinians. Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson, who is running for South Carolina governor, issued a statement, saying, “We don’t need Gavin Newsom’s twisted version of America in the Palmetto State.”
Democratic strategist Steve Maviglio, who is often a critic of Newsom, said the California governor is starting an early ground game in the important primary state.
“Simple math, it’s probably going to be the first state to cast votes for the Democratic presidential candidate next time around,” Maviglio said.
Speaking about President Trump, Newsom accused him and his administration of being motivated by cruelty and division. He cited the forceful use of immigration officials in Los Angeles’s MacArthur Park as a recent example, saying, “Of the United States of America, he wants the divided states.”
Newsom said he believes the Democratic Party can be timid in its pushback against Mr. Trump and encouraged Democrats listening to be resolved at this moment.
“We cannot be complicit at this moment by being passive at this moment,” he said. “We cannot sit back and be bystanders at this moment. We’ve got to assert ourselves.”
Newsom described growing up in rural Placer County to one group of South Carolina voters, saying that “it may be one of the reddest counties in America.”
“He’s trying to distance himself from his San Francisco roots because having that label around you makes you seem like an extreme liberal, and that doesn’t bode well for his future political aspirations,” Maviglio said.
The last time Newsom visited South Carolina was in 2024 to campaign for then-President Joe Biden. Mr. Trump easily won the state in 2020, and in 2024, Biden forced a shakeup of the primary calendar, elevating South Carolina. The calendar for 2028 is not yet set, but South Carolina’s primary will still be early — and pivotal.
CBS Sacramento reached out to Newsom’s office to ask about who was paying for this trip. They referred us to his political team, who did not respond.
The California Highway Patrol is responsible for Newsom’s security, and they are with him on this trip.
