Newsom Aide Mocks Buttigieg's South Carolina Stop as 2028 Democrats Eye First Primary
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 25
Newsom Aide Mocks Buttigieg's South Carolina Stop as 2028 Democrats Eye First Primary
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 25
Summary
Izzy Gardon, Gavin Newsom’s communications director, mocked Pete Buttigieg’s South Carolina visit on X, writing, “First time in SC in 3 years? Nice!” after Buttigieg’s team highlighted his Orangeburg NAACP stop.
The jab put two likely 2028 Democratic contenders at the center of an early fight over Black voter outreach in South Carolina, which is set to remain the party’s first presidential primary state.
Gardon later said the post came from his personal account and did not speak for Newsom, while Buttigieg’s representative Aida Ross did not respond to a request for comment.
Democratic strategists criticized the exchange as premature infighting, and the flare-up lands amid broader party complaints that national Democrats are neglecting Black voters and the South.