Gavin Newsom’s latest foray into early-nominating-state politics did not go according to plan, according to a new Politico report that paints the California governor’s Michigan visit as a swing and a miss — even in the state’s most reliably Democratic corners.
Politico, in a piece published Wednesday, framed the trip as Newsom’s “swing (and miss) state tour,” noting that his “buzzy X posts and vertical videos” from Michigan “suggest a slam dunk trip to an early nominating state.” The governor’s social media content racked up roughly a million views over a 65-hour tour, but as Politico put it, “the posts may also be the latest sign that social media is not real life.”
Snubs and Canceled Fundraisers
The reality on the ground was notably less flattering. Rep. Debbie Dingell — described by Politico as the “Downriver doyenne largely responsible for nearly securing Michigan’s status as the fifth 2028 nominating state” — told the outlet she never heard from Newsom during his visit. “I didn’t expect to: I’m a car girl,” she said, a likely jab at Newsom’s 2035 mandate banning new internal combustion engine vehicle sales in California.
Newsom also skipped a meeting with Virgie Rollins, whom Politico called “the influential chair for the DNC’s Black Caucus.”
Perhaps more damaging were the reports of a canceled fundraiser. According to an invitation obtained by Politico and circulated to some Democrats, Newsom’s team scrapped a planned event with state attorney general nominee Eli Savit that featured controversial host Kelly Neumann — but only after learning of Neumann’s background. Newsom had initially planned two competing fundraisers in Ann Arbor on Sunday, one for Savit and another for state House Democrats. When the latter learned of the Savit event, they pulled out, citing a small Ann Arbor donor base.
The optics were not helped by a widely shared image of Newsom appearing before a modest crowd of older supporters, which drew mockery online. Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel, however, pushed back on the narrative, telling Politico that Newsom “had a lot of good meetings” and was a big hit at a local barbecue.
Parallels to Harris 2020
Newsom also spent nearly an hour huddled with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, according to Politico, a meeting that raised questions about where the governor’s priorities actually lie.
Politico argued that “some of the hard feelings may underscore just how much Newsom is in demand,” but the piece’s author was unconvinced, drawing a direct comparison to Kamala Harris’s failed 2020 presidential bid. Harris, another California Democrat, was the party’s presumed front-runner in summer 2019 before her campaign collapsed by December, weeks before the Iowa caucuses, as her poll numbers and fundraising both cratered.
The author suggests California may be a uniquely poor training ground for Democratic presidential hopefuls, noting that once a candidate woos the right money people, they never really have to compete — or learn how to. Conservative Hollywood writer George MF Washington weighed in on X, saying, “The energy of his party is done with straight white men.”
Whether Newsom has learned the lessons Harris never did remains an open question. But if this week’s Michigan trip is any indication, the Democrats’ so-called Great White Hope has a long way to go before he can claim any kind of momentum.
Source: pjmedia.com — https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2026/08/13/the-dems-great-white-hope-just-got-humiliated-in-michigan-n4956101
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