Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said during a recent television appearance that California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) would be a “viable” White House candidate for Democrats if he decides to run for president in 2028.
Clyburn agreed when asked if Newsom would be an “effective” messenger for the Democratic Party.
“He’s been that for some time now. Gavin Newsom has established a record in California that is enviable,” Clyburn said on CNN’s “Laura Coates Live.” “He’s been around the country over the last several years carrying the message of the Democratic Party, and I think he will be a viable candidate going forward, if he were — were to run.”
Newsom kicked off his two-day tour of South Carolina on Tuesday, visiting rural counties, taking photos and engaging with voters in the northeastern part of the state. The California governor, who has long been considered one of the top contenders to be the party’s nominee in the next presidential election, said Democrats need to be open to discussing their views with those who hold opposing viewpoints.
“I think it’s really important for Democrats that we spend time in parts of our states, parts of our country, that frankly, we haven’t spent enough time in, and so that’s why I’m here,” Newsom told attendees at an event in Florence, S.C.
Newsom, who was in the state in early 2024 when he stumped for then-President Biden, also slammed President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” pointing to the large cuts in Medicaid.
“We can talk about the big, beautiful betrayal. The largest health care cuts in American history just happened. They are celebrating that success. Cutting Meals on Wheels. Eliminating for millions and millions of people access to food,” the California governor said Tuesday.
“Our children’s access to food. Stacking debt to likes of which none of us could have ever imagined. The greatest transfer of wealth in American history. All for tax cuts for corporations and billionaires that weren’t even asking for them,” Newsom added. “That’s the world we are living in today.”
CNN’s Omar Jimenez asked Clyburn if Newsom, who is term-limited, would be a “strong” candidate for president. The veteran South Carolina Democrat pointed to Newsom’s event in Camden, S.C., where the crowd exceeded Clyburn’s expectations.
“Well, I was with him in Camden this evening, and I went there expecting a modest crowd on a Tuesday afternoon, and this was in fact his, I think, sixth or seventh stop of the day,” Clyburn said. “It was an overflowing crowd of people, some of whom I have never seen at an event like this before, and so I do think people are listening to him, and they are listening to the Democratic Party in a big way.”
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