Gavin Newsom hits the South again as 2028 presidential campaign jockeying heats up

Gavin Newsom is on the road again.

The governor left California Tuesday morning for a four-day political swing through the South, wasting little time after the Legislature wrapped up its regular legislative session to whip up votes for Democrats in the midterm elections — and perhaps himself in 2028.

Newsom, who is widely expected to run for president, will travel through Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina through Saturday, visiting more than 10 counties while campaigning for Democrats, according to his political team.

The governor appears to be capitalizing on South Carolina’s newly elevated role in Democratic presidential politics. The Democratic National Committee voted Aug. 15 to make the state the first stop on its 2028 presidential nominating calendar, with its primary scheduled for Jan. 22 — giving Newsom an opportunity to cultivate activists, elected officials and voters in what could become the opening test of any future White House bid.

“It’s incredibly important to have boots on the ground with communities in this pivotal first primary state,” said Elizabeth Ashford, a Democratic political strategist in Los Angeles.

“It’s going to make all the difference if he decides to run, having those relationships and ground game in place.”

Newsom is hardly alone in his pursuit. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, another potential 2028 Democratic contender, was in South Carolina last weekend, making stops in Florence and Orangeburg as he worked to reconnect with black voters who rejected his 2020 presidential campaign.

The trip marks Newsom’s seventh visit to the South in three years and comes as the lame duck California governor thirstily courts a national political spotlight and attempts to cement Deep South ties that could be crucial if, and when, he launches a presidential campaign.

Things haven’t always gone according to plan, however, with Newsom’s recent trip to Michigan drawing mockery from some fellow Democrats.

Newsom’s first scheduled events are Wednesday in Montgomery, Alabama, where his team says he will focus on civil rights amid an escalating legal battle over President Trump’s efforts to impose new restrictions on mail voting.

The governor is expected to appear with state Sen. Bobby Singleton — the newly elected Alabama Democratic Party chairman — before touring civil rights sites with Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed. Newsom is also scheduled to hold a town hall with community leaders, meet students at Alabama State University and visit the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum with civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson.

Newsom’s political team has cast the trip as an effort to connect the historic civil rights battles fought in the South with current fights over voting access, congressional redistricting and other policies pushed by Trump and Republicans.

On Thursday, Newsom will begin a two-day road trip through South Carolina, where he is expected to campaign for Democrats running in competitive state House districts.

The governor plans to travel through Jasper, Beaufort and Dorchester counties on Thursday before visiting Aiken, Lexington and Lancaster counties on Friday. Trump carried all six counties in 2024, and Newsom’s camp has argued these communities are often overlooked by national Democrats by focusing on reliably blue areas.

Newsom is also scheduled to visit Black Allen University, a Historically Black College and University, alongside South Carolina state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, the Democratic candidate for governor.

On Friday, Newsom will then cross into North Carolina and travel to Charlotte for an event with the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party. Mecklenburg County has the state’s largest concentration of Democratic voters and is viewed by Newsom’s team as a critical source of votes for Democrats competing statewide.

Over the weekend Newsom will spend Saturday organizing and fundraising around Charlotte, including launching a canvassing effort with local Democrats, before traveling into neighboring Union County for a Labor Day weekend rally. Trump carried Union County in 2024.

The governor’s political operation says Newsom has raised $15.2 million through his small-dollar fundraising network for Democratic candidates, state parties and organizing efforts nationally, including more than $2.2 million directed toward Democrats in Southern states.

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That includes more than $390,000 for the South Carolina Democratic Party and contributions to Democratic organizations in North Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama, according to Newsom’s team.

The trip begins one day after California lawmakers finished sending Newsom hundreds of bills that he must now decide whether to sign or veto by the end of September.