California Gov. Gavin Newsom promoted his more than 2,000-mile jaunt from California to South Carolina as a bid to help the party win back the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026, but most people there saw it as a precursor to a 2028 presidential run.

Democrats are decidedly more optimistic about 2028.

South Carolina Democratic Party chairman challenged Gavin Newsom to explain California's homelessness and social safety net failures before considering a presidential run.

South Carolina is already setting the stage for the shadow 2028 presidential primaries as potential White House hopefuls from both parties travel to the Palmetto State. California Gov. Gavin

You’ve got to get out of your posh areas and into the heartbeat of America.” Joshua Hollington, a Democratic voter in South Carolina.

Nearly 170,000 South Carolinians who have not voted since 2020 have been marked as “inactive” on the state’s voter rolls after they failed to verify their registration