California Governor Gavin Newsom began a two-day, eight-county swing through South Carolina on 8 July, starting with a coffee-shop stop in Florence before moving on to churches, small businesses and disaster-stricken communities in the Pee Dee, Midlands and Upstate regions. Billed by the state’s Democratic Party as a rural outreach tour, the trip allowed Newsom to field questions on Medicaid cuts, federal disaster-relief funding and long-neglected infrastructure while telling residents that “things just ain’t right in America.” Representative James Clyburn, whose 2020 endorsement revived Joe Biden’s presidential bid, joined several events and later told reporters he “feels good about” Newsom’s prospects. Although the California governor is term-limited in 2026 and has not declared a White House bid, a June Emerson College survey already ranks him among the leading Democratic contenders for 2028, and strategists view the South Carolina tour—Democrats’ first binding primary state—as groundwork for a potential campaign. Republican officials sought to blunt the visit. The South Carolina GOP and state Attorney General Alan Wilson criticized Newsom’s record on taxes, crime and COVID-19 restrictions, while Sen. Tommy Tuberville said federal funding should be withheld from California over its policy allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports. Conservatives also questioned who is financing the governor’s travel. Newsom’s aides have not disclosed detailed cost figures but say the trip is being paid for by political funds, not taxpayer dollars.