Lake Orion — California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential Democratic candidate for U.S. president, visited a United Auto Workers local Sunday, urging Democrats to work to flip the Legislature and noted that the outcome of Michigan elections have “profound and outsized importance.”
Newsom spoke to crowd of over 150, including canvassers for a canvass launch in Oakland County, and supporters of local Democratic candidates Alex Hawkins and Sarah Pounds, each running for state representative for the 55th House District and 54th House District, respectively.
Newsom said he met earlier with Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic candidate for governor. “How lucky are you to have a Joselyn Benson?” he asked the crowd.
Newsom said he intended to meet with Democratic U.S Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Monday, which will be the first time the two will meet, he said.
“The (U.S) Senate is in play and … will go through this state. So, getting behind him is going to be important,” Newsom said of El-Sayed. “It’s going to be a very tough race in November.”
In the crowd were Mary Dereski, 71, of Davisburg and Carroll Harris, 77, of the Village of Clarkston. Both are eager to support both Democrats in both local and national offices, they said.
“Whatever this divide people keep saying that is happening between Democrats, most people I know say it’s time to get behind the candidates because too much is at stake,” Dereski said.
Harris said she was encouraged that so many young people appear to be engaged. “It’s their time, so, we need to listen to them,” Harris said.
The Michigan House Republican Campaign Committee called Newsom’s visit an effort to “distract from the nightmare they have on the ballot,” referring to El-Sayed.
“Now they are bringing in governors from high-tax, unaffordable states to sell policies that would tear Michigan family budgets apart,” said campaign committee spokesman Gus Portela in a statement. “Michigan House Republicans are blocking Democrat tax increases, working to put more money in people’s pockets, fighting to reduce the cost of home ownership and utility bills that are the result of failed democrat policies. That is the agenda voters will choose in November.”
Newson rejected that Republican narrative that El-Sayed and other progressives are extremist. “What there are doing … they are trying to make it so much bigger. They trying to dominate and flood the zone with this narrative,” Newsom said.
He added the message voters sent in the midterms is “they are done with the status quo.” He said the growing concentration of wealth in America is a driving force in politics.
Newsom, 58, has publicly acknowledged considering a run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 and has been aggressive about publicizing his disagreements and conflicts with President Donald Trump.
Newsom said his primary reason to visit Michigan was “supporting the party” that included touting local races as well as the national races.
Newsom’s last known visit to Michigan was July 4, 2024, to campaign for then-President Joe Biden in South Haven. The California governor described himself as “all in” for Biden’s campaign a day after he and other Democratic governors met with Biden in Washington, D.C., after the incumbent’s weak debate performance against Trump that spurred doubts about the future of his reelection bid.
Seventeen days later, Biden would drop his bid and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.
“Newsom is clearly taking every opportunity to build relationships here in Michigan,” said David Dulio, a political science professor and director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Oakland University. “The importance of our state in the presidential contest means it has to be at or near the top of his list of priorities for collecting political chits that he can then cash in when he needs help. It’s also probably not a coincidence that he’s coming to a place like Oakland County.”
Oakland is Michigan’s second most populous county and a battleground, where U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens led El-Sayed 52%-45% but lost the Michigan U.S. Senate primary Tuesday by 1 percentage point, 48.5%-47.5%.
“Newsom will want support there so he can tap into it when the time comes,” Dulio said.
Newsom’s visit shows that “Newsom wants to appeal to the progressive left and be seen as a uniter,” said Andrea Bitely, a political consultant and former spokeswoman for independent gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan and Republican former Attorney General Bill Schuette.
Canvassing in state House races makes more sense for Newsom because state-level races are closer to grassroots and convention delegate party folks than the surrogates who will be visiting for El-Sayed, Bitely added.
“While it’s possible a visit was previously scheduled, Newsom’s new endorsement of El-Sayed and quick trip to Michigan is likely motivated by a desire to keep his presidential hopes alive by appearing in an early primary state while helping up and down the ticket,” said political consultant John Sellek with Lansing-based Harbor Strategic Public Affairs.
In June, Newsom announced in a video that he and his wife were under federal investigation, though it wasn’t outlined for what. The Justice Department and White House have not publicly confirmed probes into the Newsoms and declined to comment to the Washington Post on the governor’s video statement.
Individuals familiar with the probe told the Washington Post that federal investigators are following multiple lines of inquiry, including potential tax crimes related to a nonprofit to which Newsom’s wife is linked.
“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets,” Newsom said. “He’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president.”
During immigration enforcement raids in Los Angeles in 2025, Trump called Newsom “grossly incompetent” and said the city would be burning from protests against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency without his deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines. Newsom labeled the military deployment the “acts of a dictator” and filed a lawsuit to block the troop deployment. The Democratic governor dared Trump and border czar Tom Homan to arrest him, after they suggested they could.
laguilar@detroitnews.com
Detroit News Staff Writer Beth LeBlanc and USA Today contributed
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: California Gov. Newsom visits Michigan in bid to boost Democrats
Reporting by Louis Aguilar, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Louis Aguilar, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
