Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is launching a national tour this week as speculation builds that he is preparing for a presidential bid in 2028.
Starting Thursday, the Democratic governor will make a sweep through states ranging from Nevada, viewed as a pivotal battleground area, to the deep South, where he will make a pitch to black voters in the traditionally red region.
The development comes as Newsom, who is widely seen as a likely 2028 contender, has dipped in polling compared to other possible Democratic rivals ahead of the highly anticipated race to succeed President Donald Trump.
Race to the White House polling has Newsom trailing former Vice President Kamala Harris, 20% to 16%, down from a nearly 8-point advantage he held over her in December. Polymarket’s latest predictions for which Democrat could win the 2028 nomination show support for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) rising, while enthusiasm for Newsom has fallen. Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday had a 15% chance of winning the nomination, up from 9% one month ago. Ossoff had a 14% chance of winning, up from under 6% a month ago. Meanwhile, Newsom’s chances fell to 18%, down from 25% on June 7, according to the betting market.
Touring the country as a surrogate for 2026 candidates in the midterm elections offers Newsom an opportunity to build name recognition and coalesce support ahead of a likely presidential run. On Thursday, he’ll start in Nevada, staying in the Las Vegas area through Saturday, as he helps fundraise for candidates such as Attorney General Aaron Ford, who is challenging incumbent Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo in one of the most closely watched gubernatorial races in the nation.
Following his stops in the swing Western state, Newsom is set to head South, according to Politico, as well as red parts of California that his party hopes to flip blue after the passage of Proposition 50, which redrew the state’s congressional boundaries in favor of Democrats.
Newsom’s move to criss-cross the country over the summer comes after he completed a similar tour in the spring to promote his new memoir. Among the stops he made in red Southern states was one in Georgia, where he attracted controversy for comments on black people while speaking with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who is black.
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Newsom said he wasn’t trying to impress anyone, but “just trying to impress upon you, I’m like you. I’m no better than you. I’m a 960 SAT guy.”
“Black Americans aren’t your low bar,” Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who is black, shot back. “We’ve built empires, created movements, outworked, outhustled and outsmarted people like you. Stop using your mediocre academics as a way to patronize communities.”