2028 Watch: California Governor Headed To Rural South Carolina

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Uber-liberal California governor Gavin Newsom is getting an early jump on the 2028 presidential primary process, scheduling a two-day visit to South Carolina – the state which hosts the pivotal ‘First in the Nation’ Democrat presidential primary election every four years.

According to the S.C. Democratic Party (SCDP), Newsom will visit eight rural Palmetto State counties next Tuesday and Wednesday (July 8-9, 2025) to “connect directly with communities that have too often been overlooked by Republicans in power — and too often left to recover alone from economic setbacks and natural disasters.”

“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,” SCDP chairwoman Christale Spain said in a statement. “This is about building partnerships, uplifting communities, and showing rural voters they aren’t forgotten.”

Spain added Newsom’s visit highlights the SCDP’s “focus on grassroots organizing, local empowerment and building long-term political infrastructure in every corner of the state.”

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“Our strategy isn’t about chasing cable news coverage, it’s about showing up and building trust, town by town, county by county, that is our path back to power” Spain added. “We’re proud of the gains we are making but we’re even more focused on what’s ahead.”

South Carolina hasn’t voted blue in a presidential election since 1976 – and Democrats haven’t won a top-of-the-ticket statewide race this millennium. The Republican party – or what passes for “Republican” these days – nominally occupies every statewide office, both U.S. Senate seats, six of seven congressional districts and enjoys supermajority status in both chambers of the powerful S.C. General Assembly.

Nonetheless, Newsom’s visit would appear to be targeting the soft underbelly of GOP dominance.

The 57-year-old San Francisco native is scheduled to visit Chesterfield, Florence, Kershaw, Laurens, Marion, Marlboro, Oconee and Pickens counties during his two-day tour. U.S. president Donald Trump won all but two of those counties (Marion and Marlboro) in the 2024 election – but Newsom is expected to argue his victory (and decades of GOP rule) hasn’t improve citizens’ lots in life.

“Many of the counties Governor Newsom is visiting have experienced serious hardship, from job loss and disinvestment to climate-related disasters like wildfires and hurricanes,” SCDP’s statement noted. “When coupled with lack of investment and attention from our state’s Republican leaders, rural South Carolina gets left behind. Despite holding every statewide office and controlling the legislature for decades, South Carolina Republicans have failed to build a resilient, inclusive economy that works for everyone.”

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Newsom’s political spokesperson denied the visit had anything to do with the 2028 election, insisting the governor was “sounding the alarm about how rural families and communities requesting disaster relief are being left behind by the Trump administration.”

Newsom spent seven years as mayor of San Francisco from 2004-2011. After that, he spent eight years as lieutenant governor of the Golden State. Newsom was elected governor of California in 2018 and reelected in 2022. In between, he survived a recall election in 2021.

According to SCDP, Newsom has “delivered real results for working families in rural communities — launching the largest state tax refund in American history, raising the minimum wage, expanding paid family leave, and making two years of community college tuition-free, including career and technical education.”

While Newsom’s policies are unlikely to win him wide-ranging support in most corners of the Palmetto State, the case that “Republican” rule is failing far too many South Carolinians is an easy one to make. FITSNews has repeatedly documented the extent to which South Carolina’s GOP “supermajority” is struggling to enhance the state’s economic and academic competitiveness, bridge a massive infrastructure gap, enhance public safety and eliminate institutional injustice and corruption.

In other words, while California-style pseudo-socialism (or full-blown New York socialism) will be a hard sell in these parts… calling out the ongoing failure of GOP crony capitalism should be an easy lift for Newsom and the other 2028 Democrat contenders who will come calling in the months ahead.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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