Gavin Newsom Tests 2028 Waters, But Faces a Major Problem | The American Spectator

On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom hit the trail in South Carolina in a bid to position himself as the Democratic heir-apparent in 2028. Even though the primaries are still years away, Newsom is staking out his territory as a moderate contender.

High-profile Democrats already feel positive about his chances, as Rep. Jim Clyburn introduced Newsom to a group of South Carolina Democratic voters as one of the candidates “that are running for president.” (RELATED: Gavin Newsom’s Presidential Campaign Unofficially Begins)

While it is too early for Newsom to announce a run for the presidency, Clyburn also stated to reporters that “It’s no secret,” and “I feel good about his chances.”

During the visit, Newsom positioned himself as a humble helping hand for local Democrats and grassroots causes. Reporters focused heavily on his likely 2028 presidential run, but Newsom generally avoided the issue, stating, “Our fixation with the guy riding down on a white horse to come save the day is a big, big mistake.”

Despite his assumed humility, Newsom seems to be offering himself as that candidate on the “white horse,” one who can save a Democratic Party struggling under the Trump era of American politics.

Newsom’s widely publicized battles with President Trump have made him a key figure in the country long before he appears on a national ballot. He has opposed a plethora of Trump policies, most recently marked by his condemnation of Trump’s illegal immigration raids in California. (RELATED: Gavin Newsom Wants To Be Donald Trump So Badly)

Speaking on the widespread arrests during his South Carolina visit, the governor stated, “[Trump] wanted to make a point. Cruelty is the point. Cruelty is the point.” For most of the event, Newsom presented himself as a Democrat who could bring together the Right and the Left to chart a path forward. 

He addressed the nation’s wide partisan split, stating, “I want you also to recognize that divorce is not an option. There’s no winning by tearing other people down. We’re all better off when we’re all better off.”

Newsom’s positioning could present a fresher candidate to Democratic voters, despite the governor leveling charges of “authoritarianism” at Donald Trump. Democratic voters are enthralled by Newsom’s national opposition to Trump, and if he can maintain a moderate style, he will continue staking out an attainable candidacy in the future.

But there’s a catch.

Gavin Newsom faces the unique challenge of reconciling his progressive record as California governor with the moderate image demanded by a national electorate increasingly wary of the excesses of the radical left. (RELATED: Newsom Can’t Memory-Hole What He Did to California)

While Newsom is deeply adept at the art of political chameleonism, his policies as governor of California have been far from moderate. 

Newsom’s highly liberal policies include making California a sanctuary for gender-affirming medical care for minors by blocking enforcement of out-of-state restrictions and protecting providers.

Under Newsom’s leadership, California became the first state to require ethnic studies for high school graduation by 2025, fueling discussions on DEI and the supposed evils of colonialism.

On the environmental front, Newsom greenlit bans on new gas-powered car sales by 2035 and committed to a 100 percent clean-energy grid by 2045.

He has also supported “safe” injection sites for addicts in a state with rampant drug and homelessness problems. 

These positions rarely endanger a candidate’s election chances in a wildly blue state such as California, but this track record on a national stage will most likely require a PR makeover — or a complete walk-back of previous positions.

Some Democrat leaders have expressed concern over Newsom’s ability to square his past policies with the moderate face he now assumes. The most recent Democratic governor of South Carolina, Jim Hodges, stated that Newsom will have to rebrand his progressivism in order to woo the national electorate. 

He said, “The larger concerns that he has to allay are related to California, and the feeling many have that California is not representative of the rest of the country in terms of its politics. He’s got to overcome that.”

Newsom’s gamble is that his moderate mask will make his political future more successful than another California lawmaker: Kamala Harris. Harris, who lost every swing state to Donald Trump in 2024, also carried the Golden State’s weight of radical left policies. While her positions may have resonated with California Democrats, the national electorate resoundingly rejected California’s brand of progressivism. 

Unlike Harris, however, Newsom may bet that his slicked-back, American Psycho-style imagery and moderate posture will mask a slew of policies that many Americans find distasteful.

While some look to the election of Zohran Mamdani in New York as a wider Democratic Party shift toward socialism, it is important to recognize that his victory was secured in one of the most liberal cities in the country. The 2028 Democratic candidate will still be forced to address the Party’s radicalism that has plagued them at the ballot box. 

For Democratic voters, the answer to those problems isn’t likely to be hard-left socialism, but it might be Gavin Newsom’s polished, personable style — so long as he can square his California problem.

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