Overview

• Over two days, he visited seven rural counties—including Marion, Chesterfield and Florence—speaking at churches, cafes and community centers.
• Newsom pressed for bipartisan disaster relief collaboration with GOP governors and federal officials.
• The tour raised $160,000 for the South Carolina Democratic Party to support rural voter turnout ahead of the 2026 midterms.
• He used his stops to denounce President Trump’s record and criticize Republican leaders like Senator Lindsey Graham.
• The outreach fueled speculation about a 2028 presidential bid and prompted demands to explain his administration’s shortcomings in California.