California Gov. Gavin Newsom won over South Carolina’s political heavyweights on his buzzy tour of the state this month. But in swing states, his potential presidential candidacy could be more of a liability, Democratic strategists say.
“The thing that the electorate wants right now is authenticity, not necessarily agreement, and that’s what Gavin Newsom is missing,” said Fred Hicks, an Atlanta-based Democratic strategist. “He does not feel authentic.”
South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn praised Newsom on the stump in early July — in what strategists theorized was an early attempt at shaping the outcome of the 2028 Democratic nomination.