United States presidential primary

Backers of California's Proposition 40, a November ballot measure that would impose a 5% tax on billionaires' assets to offset federal health care funding cuts, are launching ads in early presidential primary states attacking Gov. Gavin Newsom for opposing it. Funded by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West and former Stripe engineers Saikat Chakrabarti and Ross Boucher, the ads accuse Newsom of protecting billionaire donors, including Stewart Resnick, Chris Larsen, Eric Schmidt and Michael Moritz, and are set to run in South Carolina, Nevada, New Mexico, Virginia and New Hampshire. Newsom says wealth taxes should be federal, not state-level. The measure has divided Democrats; it's backed by the state party and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), term-limited and widely viewed as a likely 2028 presidential contender, began a three-day swing through South Carolina and North Carolina, his fourth visit to the early primary state. State Democrats say the trip serves a dual purpose: giving Newsom exposure to primary voters while boosting volunteer energy and attention for state legislative races ahead of a critical election roughly 60 days away. Newsom is campaigning in more than 10 counties, including six that President Trump carried in 2024, focusing on competitive state House districts in the Lowcountry region.

Democrats say they are fielding candidates in all 124 state House districts for the first time in about 50 years, and are using visits from potential 2028 contenders like Newsom, Andy Beshear, and Wes Moore as surrogate appearances to energize grassroots organizing. South Carolina Republicans dismissed the visit, arguing Newsom's record makes him an unappealing messenger for the state's voters.