By Andy Brack
What South Carolinians saw last week as Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom made a two-day swing through the state was more than a highly visible candidate who probably will run for president in 2028.
They saw a guy sweating through a white shirt in the South Carolina heat who was having fun. Yep, he seemed to enjoy engaging with voters in rural places too often forgotten by many candidates — deeply red Upstate counties like Laurens, Oconee and Pickens as well as some blue Pee Dee places like Marion and Chesterfield counties.
“So many folks I talked to at his events had never met a governor before, not even our own governor here in South Carolina,” said state Rep. J.A. Moore, D-Charleston. “People will remember that he came to their communities, not in 2028, 2027 or even 2026 — but in 2025.”
Too many politicians these days seem to slog through interactions with voters as if it were a chore. Or they hold highly-scripted town halls that feel more like a corporate conference.
Years ago, U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings underscored the importance of getting out of the office by ensuring that he visited each of the state’s 46 counties each year. One week might find him walking through courthouses, stopping by small radio stations and having mostly impromptu lunches at local meat-and-three restaurants. Others might find coffee visits in diners and other places to practice the age-old art of retail politics.
The point was to connect with people and learn. That’s what Newsom seemed to enjoy this week as he dove into red areas from which too many of today’s leaders flee.
“American citizens feel like they’re being hunted, racially profiled,” Newsom said in a Marion County coffee shop, referring to recent immigration raids in Los Angeles. “That’s why I’m here — we cannot afford to allow this to happen.”
Throughout his visits, people responded, packing events coordinated by the state Democratic Party and saying how they enjoyed listening to him speak his mind.
“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 ahead of the politicking. “This is about building partnerships, uplifting communities, and showing rural voters they aren’t forgotten.”
It was clear that the stump tour got under the skin of state Republicans like Attorney General Alan Wilson, now a candidate for governor in 2026, and U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who is looking at running for governor.
“We’ve seen what his leadership looks like: sky-high crime, gas prices, taxes and homelessness,” Wilson tweeted.
Newsom responded tersely, “Your homicide rate is literally DOUBLE California’s.”
And Mace screeched, “Don’t California my South Carolina” in a post calling on Newsom to debate.
He replied: “So you don’t want: lower homicide rates, lower gun death rates, lower taxes for working families, lower maternal mortality rates, higher GDP, higher wages, higher life expectancy, free pre-kindergarten, free community college, free school meals and total domination in every major industry. Time for a bathroom break, Nance.”
All of it has got to make you laugh a little. And what voters saw during his visits was somebody who isn’t afraid of the Republican claptrap we’ve been hearing for far too long in South Carolina.
S.C. Sen. Ed Sutton, D-Charleston, said Newsom’s visits to rural counties was smart politics and good leadership.
“When we don’t show up, that space gets filled with the cable news fear-mongering,” he told Statehouse Report. “South Carolina Democrats are the ones fighting to preserve rural hospitals, defend public education and push back against tariffs that raise the cost of everyday goods.
“Newsom’s tour helps remind voters of that and reaffirms that no community should be written off or forgotten.”
Even though it’s more than three years before the next presidential election, South Carolina’s important early primary is just 30 months or so away. That means more national candidates interested in the White House will be streaming through, such as U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear next week.
Strap in. The ride is going to get wilder.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report and the Charleston City Paper. His weekly column on politics has appeared in South Carolina media for more than 20 years. Have a comment? Send it to feedback@statehousereport.com.
