Newsom avoids Georgia, and Ossoff, on southern tour

When California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) kicks off a four-day swing through the South on Wednesday, one key state will be noticeably missing from his itinerary: Georgia.

The state is home to one of the most pivotal Senate contests in November, where Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) is trying to win reelection. In the process of his midterm battle, Ossoff has seen his national profile rise along with chatter about his political prospects.

Newsom, who is considering a White House bid and has been at the top of polls of 2028 contenders, has helped raise money for Ossoff. But he won’t be campaigning alongside Ossoff in the flesh, at least not during the latest swing on the California governor’s “Take it Back” tour.

Instead, he is expected to appear in South Carolina, North Carolina and Alabama, where he’ll travel through 10 counties, his office said.

Some Democrats say the travel schedule may suit both camps, allowing Ossoff to keep the focus on his reelection fight without the chatter of 2028 — and the horse race of who’s up and who’s down — stealing the oxygen.

“If it’s Labor Day in your competitive Senate race, you definitely want the focus to be on you and what voters are worried about: paying for gas, food, and rent,” said Democratic strategist Eddie Vale. “So it’s good for the 2028ers to be conscious of that and give the campaigns that want space, room to be the main character.”

There’s also the political calculations that campaigns make and some say Newsom may be more helpful from afar than campaigning alongside in Georgia.

“There wouldn’t be much that a California Democratic governor could do to help a Democrat running for reelection in Georgia,” said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons.

Those close to Newsom say people shouldn’t read anything into the fact that the governor isn’t visiting Georgia.

“This trip was never intended to hit every state where the governor is engaged,” one Newsom aide told The Hill. “His schedule is extremely limited with roughly 1,200 bills on his desk this September, and Georgia is one of several southern states we couldn’t fit into this swing.”

Newsom has traveled to Georgia multiple times, including earlier this year when he campaigned for former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) in the state’s gubernatorial race. During that visit, he also appeared with current Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (D) to talk about his memoir “Young Man in a Hurry,” which came out in February.

But the governor has also fundraised for Bottoms, Ossoff and other Democrats across the state.

During this cycle, Newsom raised nearly $142,000 for Ossoff, more than $79,000 for Bottoms and more than $48,000 for the Georgia state party. In total, he has raised more than $2.2 million for southern Democrats, his allies say.

An aide familiar with Newsom’s planning said the governor’s office is working through options of upcoming dates for when he’ll be back in Georgia to campaign for Ossoff ahead of November.

On Wednesday, Newsom will start the latest swing by visiting South Carolina, which the Democratic National Committee recently announced would vote first in the Democratic primary early in 2028.

The governor has been among the most vocal Democrats against President Trump and MAGA — frequently attacking the president and Republicans. Last year, he led a successful redistricting battle in the state to counter GOP efforts across the country.

“Governor Newsom is returning to the places where these fights were first won — and where MAGA’s rollback of rights carries the most weight today,” a press release for the tour said.

At the same time, Ossoff has been gaining popularity in Democratic circles as he runs for reelection.

Last month, he made headlines for days after he questioned Trump’s relationship with Natalie Harp, a White House aide, during an argument he was making about how the president isn’t focused on his job.

The attack went viral and Ossoff — who says he is only focused on winning reelection — has seen his polling numbers for 2028 rise.

A Morning Consult poll out this week showed that while former Vice President Kamala Harris and Newsom are the leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, Ossoff — whom they labeled “the mover” in the field of would-be candidates — is gaining traction while others are slipping.

Democratic strategist Steve Schale said while the “easy thought” is that a Newsom visit to Georgia could “complicate things” for the candidates especially for 2026, Newsom might be using a 2028 calculus. Schale said the governor could be specifically eying Super Tuesday states as part of his considerations in travel.

“One of the practical realities is that North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Alabama are all on Super Tuesday and Georgia in the last few cycles has been later,” Schale said. “It’s a delegate game. If Georgia stays where it is, all that matters is who is cruising out of Super Tuesday. Both Biden and Clinton won the nomination out of Super Tuesday.”

“If you don’t live through Super Tuesday, you don’t live,” he added.