Newsom Tells North Carolina Crowd ‘This Is It’ on Democracy, Slams Trump Over Mail-In Ballots

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom rallied Democrats in Monroe, North Carolina, on September 5, urging the crowd to stay focused on the current political moment rather than his own future ambitions. “My entire life I’ve seen the expansion of rights. Now it’s rights regression. This is it — don’t focus on 2028,” Newsom told the crowd, directly addressing the speculation that has followed him on his multi-state Southern tour.

Newsom also took direct aim at the president, accusing him of trying to “put America in reverse,” and raised alarms about mail-in voting procedures, telling supporters: “The United States Postal Service deciding who gets the ballots and when they’re sent back, whether or not they’re even counted because they’re sent back a day late — that’s happening in real time.” The remarks were among the sharpest of his current Southern swing, delivered to a crowd that greeted him with enthusiastic applause throughout the event.

Details & Background

The Monroe stop was part of a broader Labor Day weekend swing that also included events elsewhere in North Carolina, continuing a pattern of red-state visits that has fueled speculation about a possible 2028 presidential run. Newsom’s appearance is widely viewed as a boost for North Carolina Democrat Roy Cooper, who is locked in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country against Republican Michael Whatley, a race both parties see as a genuine tossup that could help decide which side controls the chamber.

Newsom has made similar stops elsewhere in the South in recent days, pairing sharp anti-Trump rhetoric with pointed criticism of his own party’s past strategy. At other stops on the tour, he has argued Democrats spent two decades avoiding conservative-leaning areas rather than competing for them directly, telling one crowd, “What happened to Democrats over the last 20 years? We started to see red and we said, ‘It’s not worth the drive.’”

Reactions

Whatley’s campaign wasted no time linking Newsom’s visit to Cooper, accusing the Democrat of importing “California’s ‘progressive’ agenda” and declaring that “North Carolina wants nothing to do with the radical destruction Newsom has unleashed.” Monroe Mayor Robert Burns, posting about the high-profile visit, suggested it signaled shifting political dynamics that Democrats “should be worried” about locally, framing Newsom’s appearance as evidence that national Democrats see North Carolina as newly competitive.

Newsom’s message nonetheless found a receptive audience among the North Carolina Democrats who turned out for the event, treating his appearance as a marquee moment for a statewide race both parties view as pivotal to control of the Senate. The contrast between the enthusiastic reception inside the event and the sharp Republican pushback outside underscored how differently Newsom’s brand of politics is landing depending on the audience — a dynamic that has followed him at nearly every stop of his Southern tour so far.

Why This Matters to You

This isn’t just a governor from across the country making a guest appearance — Newsom’s rhetoric on “rights regression” and mail-in voting is now directly tied to one of the highest-stakes Senate races in the country, one that could help determine which party controls the chamber next year and shapes how each side frames the ballot-access debate heading into November.

It also matters because Newsom is delivering this message while explicitly downplaying his own 2028 ambitions, even as his tour through red and swing states keeps fueling exactly that speculation. Whether voters in North Carolina see his involvement as a meaningful endorsement of Cooper or an unwelcome import from California, his words are now part of the campaign both sides will be arguing over through November, in a state that could easily decide which party holds the majority next year.