Newsom departed California on Monday for a two-day tour of South Carolina. Though he hasn’t given any explicit indications of his broader ambitions, his tour of the critical Democratic primary state has many viewing the trip as an early 2028 campaign stop. Clyburn, a major Democratic kingmaker, didn’t help by accidentally hinting that the governor had his eyes on the White House.
“As we go around welcoming these candidates that are running for president…” Clyburn said, gesturing to Newsom before catching himself.
Newsom responded with a laugh.
The Democratic kingmaker also described Newsom as “one of the leading voices in the Democratic Party in our nation.” He also said the California governor was a “wise man” for coming to South Carolina out of the 50 states, another hint at his ambitions.
Clyburn further said that he met many Biden voters who were fans of Newsom, saying the party needed a “fighter.”
During his speech to the crowd, Newsom offered a counter-reason: he was there to “amplify” Democratic enthusiasm for the 2026 Midterm elections.
Newsom’s trip to South Carolina was latched onto by his rivals, who portrayed it as a self-serving trip for his presidential ambitions at the cost of the well-being of his own state.
“This is Gavin Newsom’s California,” 2026 California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton said in a video on X, standing in front of debris from wildfires that devastated the state earlier this year. “Six months on from the fire disaster caused by his policies he calls THIS a ‘historic pace’ of debris removal. Now he runs away to South Carolina to run for president. What a disgrace. We need a governor focused on this job, not the next one.”
Newsom will be term‑limited after 2026 and cannot run for governor again. Many analysts have perceived his recent moves as indicating a desire to run for president in 2028.
STEVE HILTON CALLS NEWSOM ‘A DISGRACE’ FOR DITCHING CALIFORNIA TO MEET WITH SOUTH CAROLINA VOTERS
Newsom’s tour of South Carolina was called “On the Road With Governor Newsom” by Democrats, who arranged for the governor to meet with people in coffee shops, community centers, and cafes.
Newsom came in third in a June Emerson College Polling survey, which asked more than 400 Democratic primary voters nationwide about their choice for a 2028 candidate. He was led by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
