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.
Hellbound and Down 