Governor Gavin Newsom is smart to roll the dice

No outsider politicians venture into sultry South Carolinain July unless they arerunning for president. Certainly not a West Coast politician. Especially a California governor who lives in delightful Marin County near wonderful cool beaches.

- George Skelton, Tribune News Service

A governor who could easily vacation at spectacular Big Sur or hike a wilderness trail into the majestic Sierra. We can assume Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t choose South Carolina for its nightly light show of amazing fireflies or symphony of crickets. He was attracted to something so alluring that he was willing to brave skin-eating chiggers and oppressive humidity. The lure, of course, was that South Carolina will hold one of the earliest — perhaps the first — Democratic presidential primaries in 2028. The precise calendar for contests hasn't been set. But Newsom knows this: South Carolina propelled Joe Biden to the party’s nomination in 2020, And it provided a huge boost for Barack Obama in 2008.