HE’S RUNNING: California governor plans to tour 8 GOP-leaning SC counties in effort to engage rural voters.

Newsom will speak in several Upstate counties on July 9, including Laurens, Pickens, and Oconee. He also plans to stop in Marion, Chesterfield, Florence, Kershaw, and Chesterfield counties.

SCDP said the counties Newsom will visit have faced obstacles such as job loss and devastation from natural disasters, including wildfires and hurricanes.

Several Upstate counties faced severe damage from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 and the Table Rock Complex Fire in March 2025.

Each of these SC counties on the tour also holds a strong Republican voter base. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance won roughly 76% of the votes in Pickens County, 70% in Laurens County, and 81% in Oconee County.

It’s easy to laugh at Newsom — and I certainly do — but more Republicans should visit blue districts and listen to their concerns.

Connections matter, and Dems often understand this in ways Republicans don’t seem to.