Pity poor Gavin Newsom, whose national ambitions — thankfully for those of us who don't live in California — appear permanently stymied by his conspicuous corruption and incompetence. The latest evidence comes from Michigan, where the would-be Democrat presidential contender was just humiliated in the state's deepest indigo of blue enclaves.
Calling it Newsom's "swing (and miss) state tour," Politico reported on Wednesday that his "buzzy X posts and vertical videos" from Michigan "this week suggest a slam dunk trip to an early nominating state."
But even though Newsom's social media feed racked up "a million views of a 65-hour tour," Politico noted that "the posts may also be the latest sign that social media is not real life."
Translation: It was a trip notable mostly for bad execution and embarrassing turnout.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, "the Downriver doyenne largely responsible for nearly securing Michigan’s status as the fifth 2028 nominating state," told the magazine, "I didn’t hear from the governor. I didn’t expect to: I’m a car girl." That's likely in reference to Newsom's 2035 mandate banning new ICE vehicle sales in California.
Newsom snubbed Virgie Rollins, whom Politico described as "the influential chair for the DNC’s Black Caucus."
There's more:
Some Michigander politicos pointed out that Newsom canceled a fundraiser with state AG nominee Eli Savit that included the controversial host Kelly Neumann, according to an invite obtained by POLITICO and circulated to some Democrats who didn’t realize the event was canceled when Newsom’s team was made aware of Neumann’s background.
Newsom initially planned two competing fundraisers in Ann Arbor on Sunday, one for Savit and one for the state House Democrats. When the latter found out about the Savit fundraiser they pulled out, citing a small Ann Arbor donor base.
Saying Ann Arbor has a small Democrat donor base is like saying you couldn't spot any tech bros in Palo Alto.
“He had a lot of good meetings,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel told Politico, adding Newsom was a big hit at a local barbecue.
I believe this was the barbecue:
Gavin Newsom pulling a massive crowd of 17 septuagenarians in Michigan. Yeah he's DEFINITELY gonna be the nominee for President. LMAO. pic.twitter.com/GrLf3Ebc2X
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) August 11, 2026
Yikes, how the mighty have fallen.
Then again, "Newsom huddled for nearly an hour with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed," if you want to know the governor's current priorities.
Politico argued that "it’s also true that some of the hard feelings may underscore just how much Newsom is in demand," but I'm not sure I see it.
I wouldn't be too surprised if Newsom 2028 ended up following a similar path to Kamala Harris 2020. It makes me smile every time I remember that the Dems' Queen of Summer 2019 ended up dropping out of the race in December, weeks before the Iowa caucuses — her polls cratering almost as quickly as her coffers.
It's no coincidence that they're both from California. As my partner in thoughtcrime, Stephen Kruiser, and I have discussed several times over the years, the Golden State is maybe the nation's worst breeding ground for Democrats with presidential ambitions.
Once a Dem woos the right money people — particularly Nancy Pelosi, but she's now fading — they never really have to compete. Or even learn how to compete. Taking a Democrat like Harris or Newsom out of California is like taking the Boy in the Bubble out of confinement and directly into Wuhan Institute of Virology on a particularly leaky day.
Besides, as conservative Hollywood scribe George MF Washington put it on X this morning, "The energy of his party is done with straight white men."
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Newsom has learned the lessons Harris never did. Maybe he really is the Democrats' Great White Hope. But I didn't see much evidence of that in Michigan.
Recommended: Mamdani and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week
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