There is a lot riding on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s book tour, which includes stops in states he’d almost certainly need to secure Democrats’ 2028 presidential nomination.
However, it did not get off to a good start, and now Newsom is facing heat from parts of the Democratic base.
The first major gaffe in Newsom’s “Young Man in a Hurry” tour happened in Atlanta.
Indeed, sharing a stage with Mayor Andre Dickens, Newsom said “I’m like you…you know, I’m a 960 SAT guy” before saying he struggles to read.
Blowback came from both sides of the political spectrum, including Sen. Tim Scott on the right as well as Nina Turner and Cornel West on the left.
That wasn’t Newsom’s only oratorical slip-up, although the second one says more about the larger Democratic Party than anything else.
During a CNN interview, Newsom implored Democrats to “be more culturally normal” and to stop “spending a disproportionate amount of time on pronouns (and) identity.”
Democrats in California pounced. The state legislature’s LGBTQ caucus blasted Newsom, even accusing him of adopting “the language of MAGA extremists.”
As it stands, Newsom leads 2028 Democratic polling, with a 4-point lead over Pete Buttigieg (20% to 16%) and a 7-point lead over former VP Kamala Harris, per Emerson.
But, in order to actually win the party’s nomination, alienating progressives and Black voters would make that nearly impossible.
That being said, despite the rocky start, Newsom’s book tour may prove to be more beneficial than it currently seems.
Primarily, by designing the tour to include key areas in the South – Nashville, Atlanta, and South Carolina – Newsom is hoping to demonstrate his popularity – and electoral viability – out of cozier, more liberal confines.
Notably, this will be Newsom’s third trip to South Carolina over the last two years, a less than subtle nod to his 2028 ambitions given the state’s early primary.
In that same vein, Newsom is making competing inroads in a part of the country where Harris has looked to shore up her own support, having spent much of her own book tour there as well.
Moreover, he is drawing considerable crowds, a tangible demonstration of his viability.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted that the arena was “packed” and Newsom was “interrupted by laughter several times” while also pointing out that Dickens rapidly leaped to Newsom’s defense over the questionable remarks.
Regarding the potential impact of these controversies on the 2028 primaries, by the time Democrats gear up to vote, its highly unlikely that these comments will be on anyone’s minds.
Even if they were, accusing Newsom of being anti-LGBT or racist seems destined to fail.
Consider that Democratic opponents tried the same line of attacks on former President Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary.
One CNN article blared in the summer of 2019, “Joe Biden’s segregationist comments loom large as 2020 Democrats gather in South Carolina.”
Similarly, in that primary’s first debate, Kamala Harris confronted Biden about his opposition to busing in the 1970s.
And yet, despite those attacks, Biden handedly won South Carolina, with a roughly 30-point margin of victory, riding that momentum to winning the party’s nomination.
Similarly, Newsom’s comments on Democrats’ need to move to the cultural center are more likely to help – rather than hurt – the governor.
This position – which Newsom has taken before on his podcast after the 2024 election – is a key step in moving the Democratic Party away from their extreme positions on social issues and more towards meeting voters where they are.
Likewise, anyone who reads Newsom’s book will notice that he refers to a time when his outspoken defense of same-sex marriage – beginning in 2004 – was actually considered “too fast” by Democrats.
He references that, when still Mayor of San Francisco, his support brought him into conflict with the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein and then-state senator Barack Obama, both concerned about the electoral impact Newsom’s stance would have on Democrats.
Taken together, Newsom’s book tour was a significant steppingstone to the seemingly inevitable presidential run.
To that end, the book itself may also help the governor. Rather than laying out a policy manifesto or his vision were he elected president, Newsom sought to nullify attacks that he’s a political chameleon and introduce himself to a national audience.
Notwithstanding his rhetorical mistake in Atlanta, any future attacks that come from the tour will hold little water given his track record.
At the same time, his urging of Democrats to move to the center on cultural issues – correctly noting where the electorate currently is – is likely to boost his appeal among national Democrats, who are considerably more moderate than the party’s base.
Ultimately, with roughly 11 months until candidates start declaring for the 2028 primaries, Newsom remains the most visible top-tier candidate, and his “red state book tour” as Politico called it, should further boost his national profile at a critical time.
Douglas Schoen is a longtime Democratic political consultant.
