Aiken, South Carolina —
The hair gel mostly withstood the Low Country’s sticky sweat.
Between events in South Carolina, now fully enshrined as Democrats’ first presidential primary state, Gavin Newsom acknowledged last week’s trip was indeed part of feeling out a campaign.
“Obviously, it’s an early calendar state, but, you know, my state of mind was here before,” the California governor told CNN during an interview in the staff kitchen of a cultural center after his session with voters here. “I’d be lying,” he admitted, if he denied 2028 was a factor in the visit but insisted it was further down the list of motivations for his fourth trip to the state in as many years.
South Carolina Democrats are in such rough shape that their big aspiration is just winning enough statehouse seats to break the GOP supermajority. But Newsom said he’s truly committed to the state, explaining that he chose to come back to where he campaigned for both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and traveled on his book tour, because of the relationships he’s cultivated with state party leadership. Chair Christale Spain, for example, chose to celebrate her 50th birthday on Thursday by driving in a van ahead of Newsom’s small motorcade to introduce him at events and touted the $370,000 he’s raised as having literally helped them keep the lights on at party headquarters. (Newsom arrived with a present of a tiara and a birthday sash for her at one stop, and boxing gloves at another.)
