Gavin Newsom launches tour, fundraising campaign for Dems in Nevada, the South
Gov. Gavin Newsom will travel to Nevada on Thursday, the first stop in a national tour to help Democrats flip Republican-held statehouses and congressional seats in November as he eyes a potential run for president in 2028.
Newsom will be in the Las Vegas area through Saturday, helping Nevada Democratic Party members fundraise on behalf of candidates like Attorney General Aaron Ford, who is challenging incumbent Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. He will also meet with Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, and other party leaders, according to his campaign.
Politico first reported Newsom’s schedule, which also include later plans to travel to southern states and red parts of California that Democrats hope to flip after the passage of Proposition 50, which voters passed last year to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries.
“Following the success of Prop. 50, which gave Democrats a path to retake the House through California, Governor Newsom will campaign across California and the country to protect democracy and voting rights, elect Democrats, flip seats, and end Donald Trump’s unchecked power,” his campaign said in a statement.
Newsom, who is term limited after this year, previously said he will decide whether to run for president after the 2026 midterms, which he said is existential for his party as they look to make a comeback and regain control of the U.S. House and Senate.
Since 2023, he has fundraised on behalf of Democrats in battleground and red states via his Campaign For Democracy political action committee, helping shore up relationships that could help a future White House run.
Last year, he visited South Carolina, whose majority Black Democratic electorate helped revitalize former President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. That momentum led to Biden rewarding the state by making it first in the party’s primary nominating order in 2024.
Newsom’s campaign said he has raised more than $5.2 million in small donations for fellow Democrats in the most recent election cycle. In recent days, he fundraised $120,000 on behalf of three California candidates: Richard Pan in the Sacramento area, Marni von Wilpert in the San Diego area, and Randy Villegas in the Central Valley.
