With an eye on 2028, Gavin Newsom courts Democrats in MAGA country with anti-Trump message

FLORENCE, S.C. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom Tuesday pitched himself as the antidote to President Trump, urging Democrats in one of South Carolina’s most conservative towns to “push back” against the MAGA agenda by helping the party win back control of the U.S. House in 2026.

Mr. Newsom, a leading contender in the burgeoning field of 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls, was on a mini-swing through the Palmetto State this week, sticking to deep-red, rural areas where, he said, voters have too often been ignored by his party.

He shook hands and took dozens of selfies in a small, crowded coffee shop in downtown Florence, where Democrats in this crucial early primary state are just beginning to weigh their 2028 options and reel from Mr. Trump’s success ushering in his conservative agenda.

“My message to all of you is this presidency will end with you and the House of Representatives in 2026,” Mr. Newsom told the crowd as he pledged to help midterm Democrats win.

Mr. Newsom’s speech lasted less than 10 minutes and revealed neither his political plans nor delved into his policy positions.

His short talk loosely centered on Mr. Trump, characterizing the president and the Republican agenda as the cause of trauma, stress, fear and outrage within the Democratic base.

California has been a focus of Mr. Trump’s effort to deport illegal immigrants, which has provoked violent protests in downtown Los Angeles that prompted Mr. Trump to send in the National Guard last month. This week, the Trump administration threatened to pull federal education funds from the state because Mr. Newsom has refused to bar transgendered athletes from participating on sports teams that do not align with their biological gender.

“That’s why I’m back here, talking about the world we’re living in, but also trying to push back, also trying to stand tall, also trying to access our better angels,” Mr. Newsom, 57, said. “And I’ve been doing that because in California, we’re on the receiving end of most of the assault of Trump and Trumpism.”

The two-term governor is among a handful of Democrats who have already begun visiting early primary states, of which South Carolina has become one of the most important.

“I’m glad he’s here, because right now, we’ve got some energy that is starting to boil up in this country, that we lacked last year,” said Dan Swanson, a Democrat who lives in Florence.

The state voted solidly Republican in the general election but played a pivotal role in delivering the Democratic nomination to Joseph R. Biden in 2020. It is poised to be an early primary state again in 2028. Mr. Newsom follows other possible Democratic hopefuls who have already journeyed to South Carolina, among them Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Tim Walz of Minnesota.

In Florence and other rural areas of South Carolina, Democrats, who are vastly outnumbered by Republicans, tend to be more moderate, residents said.

This could put the state’s Democratic primary out of reach for Mr. Newsom, who implemented a host of left-leaning policies in California, among them taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal immigrants, phasing out gas-powered cars and allowing biological males to participate in female sports.

“He comes from a liberal state and people see him that way,” said Merrill Towns Chapman, who came to hear Mr. Newsom and would like him to win the primary.

“Unfortunately, we are going to have to have a middle-America guy,” she predicted.

Mr. Newsom mixed his scathing criticism of Mr. Trump with a conciliatory message to those who support him.

California, he said, has more Trump voters than the entire state of South Carolina.

“And it puts in perspective my state of mind. I’m deeply mindful of the challenges and how we navigate, because at the end of the day, divorce is not an option,” Mr. Newsom said.

He tossed out quotes from Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Bible that championed the virtue of reconciliation.

“I’m here in that spirit that I think defines the best of all of us, regardless of party,” he said.

Roger Kirby, a Democratic state lawmaker and vice chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, said Mr. Newsom’s appearance in rural parts of the state will excite Democrats here who feel sidelined not only by the 2024 election but also by their own party.

“A lot of these areas have felt often neglected, so I think it’s an important statement that he comes here first,” Mr. Kirby said. “That he cares, that we’re important and that we matter.”