Gov. Gavin Newsom Stumps For Biden Campaign In South Carolina Ahead Of The Primary

Governor Gavin Newsom travelled around South Carolina on Wednesday and Thursday campaigning for President Joe Biden ahead of the South Carolina Democratic Primary on February 3rd.

Newsom, a member of the 2024 Biden-Harris National Advisory Board, travelled to Bluffton, outside of the tourist hot spot Hilton Head Island, on Wednesday, stumping for Biden and joining in a question and answer session with South Carolina state Senator Margie Bright Matthews (D). The event, held at the Sun City Hilton Head retirement community, is known for being a large Republican enclave in the solid Republican state.

In his speech and subsequent remarks, Newsom supported Biden and went after both GOP presidential candidates still in the race: former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

“Democrats, they all just keep winning and winning and winning; 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, in the midterms,” said Newsom on Wednesday. “We will continue to keep winning as long as you keep your focus on turnout on February 3. South Carolina reflects the diversity of our party and the diversity of this nation.”

“The state of this state, the representation of your senator, that six-week abortion ban. Hard earned national rights, rights now in regression. Not just access to abortion, but access to contraceptives. We are seeing those rights roll back in real time. It’s not complicated. All we have to do is look up the issues; you look at the Biden progress in programs that are overwhelmingly popular across the spectrum. We just have to remind people of that progress, and then we have to push the contrast. It’s not even a complicated election.”

“Trump is a damaged candidate, more damaged and with respect, more deranged than he was in 2020. Donald Trump at 14.7% unemployment, he lost 2.9 million jobs and increased the deficit every single year. Here, we got a president that just this week was able to announce 14.3 million American jobs being created in three years. That’s 10 times more than last three Republican presidents.”

As for Haley’s run, Newsom added, “It’s not that I’m rooting against her, it’s quite the contrary. As a Democrat, I kind of like the fact she’s in this race because now it’s two against one. You’ve got Biden hitting Trump as the presumptive nominee and you’ve got Haley amplifying a lot of the points the Biden campaign is making. The longer she stays in, the better it is as a humble Democrat. From that perspective, let’s hope it continues for many, many months.”

Newsom in South Carolina, Nevada

In addition to Bluffton, Newsom also stumped in Orangeburg on Wednesday and will give speeches in Sumter at a local college on Thursday.

For many in South Carolina, Newsom was seen as unwelcome this week, supporting candidates who are already likely to win.

“The overall feeling is ‘Why is he here?'” explained South Carolina pollster Jackson Fisher to the Globe on Thursday. “He made a big mistake of campaigning around Hilton Head. The area is populated by mostly people originally from other states, is a huge tourist area, and is generally hated by many lifelong South Carolina residents. Most can’t stand that place because so many Midwesterners move there. This is a place where bars play Ohio sports on the TV instead of local games. Most lifelong South Carolinians want them out of the state. And this is where Newsom gives a speech. Not in a place with regular South Carolinians, but the big part of the state that is almost exclusively transplants. If Newsom was trying to warm the hearts of the rest of the state, he picked the worst possible place.”

“But it was weird. He’s pulling for Biden in this state that overwhelmingly went to Trump in 2020. He’s speaking with shoo-in candidates. He’s giving speeches in very red areas. Maybe he’s trying to push momentum for Haley against Trump there, but again, he chose the wrong way to try and do it. He may have been obligated to do it or something too, but man, it was weird.”

Others noted that there was likely another reason for Newsom campaigning for Biden in South Carolina.

“He sees 2028 in four years,” added Kate Fox, a political analyst focusing on possible 2028 presidential campaigns, to the Globe on Thursday. “He wants to put in roots early for such a run, and campaigning for Biden in an early primary state like South Carolina is gold. And Newsom has been doing this slowly for years. Last year, he built up his international experience with trips to Israel and China. He got into a debate on the National scale with a potential 2028 GOP rival. And he’s been going out of state more and more, especially in early primary and caucus states. This wasn’t the first thing he did in South Carolina either, because he’s sent support for candidates here in the last several months.”

“On the the surface, he’s just acting like any other advisory board member and helping them out. But you can see the grand design of a 2028 plan forming. After he is out as Governor in 2026, don’t be surprised to see him in Iowa or New Hampshire, or Nevada, or spending more time in South Carolina. I mean, he’s already campaigning for Biden in Nevada too. A lot of people are asking why he is in South Carolina when Biden winning it is a foregone conclusion. He can say supporting local candidates all he wants, but you can see how this is all building up.”

More out of state locations for Newsom to stump for the Biden-Harris campaign will likely be unveiled soon as the 2024 U.S. Presidential race continues to grow.