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SUMMERVILLE, S.C. — <\/span>SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (AP) \u2014 Gavin Newsom’s<\/a> secret is no secret here in South Carolina. <\/p>\n They were selling \u201cGavin 2028\u201d buttons outside his events this past week as he trekked across the state that will hold Democrats’ first presidential primary<\/a>. His allies, the state party chair, college presidents and pro-Newsom activists all openly hinted at his national aspirations. And people close to him privately referred to a White House campaign as \u201cthe next thing.\u201d <\/p>\n Still, California’s Democratic governor has barely begun to address what may be his biggest political liability as he stakes a claim as an early front-runner in the Democratic Party’s 2028 shadow primary. That liability, South Carolina voters acknowledged this past week, is something he cannot change \u2014 his home state, California, is a symbol of modern-day liberalism that people across the political spectrum love to hate.<\/p>\n Vera DeVito, a 78-year-old Democrat who packed into one of Newsom’s eight public events across South Carolina, said she didn’t know much about him or his policies \u2014 except that he’s from the Golden State. On that basis alone, she suggested that supporting Newsom could be \u201crisky.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s going to be hard for him to appeal to the whole country,” she said in the town of Summerville. \u201cEverybody thinks California is different \u2014 especially in the South. They’re not crazy about California.\u201d<\/p>\n Newsom’s home state stands in stark contrast with likely primary competitors who hail from battlegrounds like Michigan’s Pete Buttigieg<\/a> and Pennsylvania’s Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/a>. Should they run, which is likely, all could make credible claims that they are in a better position to win over the moderate and independent voters ultimately needed to win the presidency. <\/p>\n Newsom’s team acknowledges that \u201cCalifornia derangement syndrome\u201d is real. In the almost half-century since former California Gov. Ronald Reagan first won the presidency, the state has produced a long list of failed White House contenders, including Gov. Pete Wilson, Gov. Jerry Brown, businessman Tom Steyer, and most recently Vice President Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n Despite such daunting history, Newsom is not hiding his interest in the presidency. In an interview, he left open the possibility of announcing his decision before the end of the year. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the right question. Honestly, I don\u2019t know,\u201d Newsom told The Associated Press. \u201cI think this thing\u2019s happening. I mean, you already feel it, right? There are folks out here \u2014 they\u2019re saying they\u2019re already starting to interview state directors. So this thing is going to happen very, very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n Newsom’s breakneck pace in South Carolina \u2014 which included a handful of private engagements in addition to his public events \u2014 mirrored or even exceeded that of a presidential campaign. <\/p>\n His visit was billed as part of his \u201ctake it back tour\u201d across states in the Deep South where he argues that President Donald Trump<\/a> and his Republican allies are rolling back civil rights. <\/p>\n He opened the trip on Wednesday with one day in Alabama and finished on Saturday with two stops in North Carolina. But the overwhelming focus was South Carolina, which will host the Democratic Party\u2019s opening presidential primary contest in little more than a year. It was Newsom’s third trip to South Carolina this midterm season.<\/p>\n The voters who crowded into community halls, courthouses and a university lecture hall talked openly about Newsom’s presidential ambitions, even as Democrats try to keep the focus on November’s midterm elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has strong potential,\u201d said Kirk Bovill, a 65-year-old semi-retired actor and former Los Angeles resident who now lives in Summerville. \u201cThe question is how he’s perceived outside of California. People might think he’s too Hollywood.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThe one thing he does very well: He doesn\u2019t have a problem standing up to Trump,\u201d Bovill continued. \u201cHe’s not intimidated.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, Newsom’s message this past week was overwhelmingly focused on attacking Trump and rallying Democrats to stand up against him. <\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot do business as usual. We need to fight fire with fire,\u201d Newsom told roughly 150 people gathered inside a Lexington, S.C. community center on Friday. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to meet this moment and recognize what we\u2019re up against. We\u2019re up against an invasive species in the name of Donald Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n At every stop, Newsom highlighted the hundreds of millions of dollars Trump and his family have made from crypto currency<\/a> and other private business dealings since the 2024 election; Trump’s decision to dispatch the National Guard to Los Angeles<\/a> and other major U.S. cities; the federal immigration agents that have descended upon Los Angeles and other cities<\/a> under Trump’s direction; and Trump’s push to disrupt the midterm elections, including his recent move to limit mail voting<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cDonald Trump is ruthless. He\u2019s ruthless. He\u2019s going to try to steal this election,” Newsom charged. \u201cHe is not screwing around. Neither can we.\u201d<\/p>\n The White House did not respond to a request for comment. <\/p>\n Republican activists protesting outside of some of Newsom’s stops focused largely on his connection to California. <\/p>\n CJ Westfall, the Republican chairman of Dorchester County, described Newsom as \u201ca far-left extreme Democrat who\u2019s probably the front-runner of this (presidential) race right now.\u201d He was surrounded by protesters who waved signs that read things like, \u201cWrong Coast” and \u201cClean Up Your State First.” <\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want Gavin Newsom to California our South Carolina,\u201d Westfall said. <\/p>\n Newsom’s team acknowledges widespread dislike for California, even among some Democrats, but argues that the California governor is gifted and experienced at fighting back against such criticism on the national stage. Newsom is a regular on Fox News, he faced Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a debate<\/a> and he was the most prominent national surrogate for former President Joe Biden’s campaign. <\/p>\n Newsom acknowledged that California is both a political liability and \u201cthe greatest opportunity” because the California story has only been told on the national stage by \u201cpeople that have ‘California Derangement Syndrome.'” He said it would play far differently if he’s able to reframe the conversation in 2028.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a Democratic primary, in particular \u2014 we\u2019ve got the receipts, things that the party is arguing for, we\u2019ve delivered across a spectrum of issues,\u201d he told AP. <\/p>\n Indeed, some of the achievements that Republican critics attack him for are the same issues that might play well among Democratic base voters. <\/p>\n California under Newsom’s leadership has enacted progressive priorities such as expanded healthcare coverage regardless of immigration status, expanded paid sick leave, universal free school meals, a $20 minimum wage for fast food workers, protections for women from other states seeking abortions, aggressive climate change and gun control laws and a death penalty moratorium.<\/p>\n California also remains the nation’s most populous state and the world’s fourth-largest economy, even as critics decry the state’s high taxes that have pushed some businesses and residents alike into other states. The population has been growing<\/a> since a COVID-era dip, however.<\/p>\n While South Carolina voters may have had mixed views on California, several said they were drawn in by Newsom’s celebrity image. The 58-year-old Democrat certainly looked the part of a made-for-TV president as he charmed voters in his plain white dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up and no tie. <\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t get that many famous people here in Aiken. He\u2019s pretty famous,\u201d said 73-year-old Monty Fetterolf, who attended one of Newsom’s Friday events in Aiken, S.C.<\/p>\n DeVito, the 78-year-old Democrat from Summerville, said Newsom still has work to do. <\/p>\n \u201cHe’s a little slick \u2014 not a lot of meat,\u201d she said after listening to his speech in Dorchester. \u201cBut he’s good looking, which helps.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n