Scarborough on Newsom’s S.C. Visit: ‘He’s Got a Really Big Pile of Problems Back in California’

BRZEZINSKI: “And California Governor Gavin Newsom is busy meeting with voters in South Carolina.”
SCARBOROUGH: “That’s interesting.”
BRZEZINSKI: “The Democrat has been traveling —“
SCARBOROUGH: “That’s a long flight, actually.”
BRZEZINSKI: “— it seems a quite opposite side of the country. The Democrat has been traveling throughout the state, which is expected to play a pivotal role in the primary race for the presidency. Congressman Jim Clyburn, who helped resurrect President Biden’s White House campaign in 2020, introduced Newsom at an event last night, adding, quote, ‘I feel good about his chances.’”
SCARBOROUGH: “And he’s, of course, talking about he feels good about his chances, cleaning up the quality of life issues back in California.”
BRZEZINSKI: “There’s that.
SCARBOROUGH: “I mean —“
BRZEZINSKI: “There’s that, that role.”
SCARBOROUGH: “— I’ve got to say, Jonathan Lemire, if Gavin Newsom — I mean, he goes to South Carolina, they’re talking about his presidential race. Well, let the early morning talk about 20 — 20 — what year? 8 begin. I mean, that’s a guy who if he runs, he’s — he’s — he’s got a lot to defend in California. If you look at quality of life issues there — man, that’s going to — that’s —“
BRZEZINSKI: “He is a good fighter, though. But —“
SCARBOROUGH: “He’s really good fighter on TV.”
BRZEZINSKI: “Really good.”
SCARBOROUGH: “He’s a really good debater. But he’s got a really big pile of problems back in California.”
LEMIRE: “Yeah, I’m just doing some preliminary research here. I don’t see too many direct flights from Sacramento to Charleston —“
BRZEZINSKI: “None.
LEMIRE: “— or Columbia, in fact, there in South Carolina.”
SCARBOROUGH: “Yeah.”
LEMIRE: “Governor Newsom, we should note, not the only Democrat who’s gone there. Congressman Ro Khanna, another 2028 possibility, was also in South Carolina —“
SCARBOROUGH: “Right.”
LEMIRE: “— over the weekend. And we suspect there’ll be far more in the Palmetto State in the days ahead. But you’re right about Governor Newsom. Certainly, California has long been sort of the Republican boogeyman. We know how they attach — attacked former Speaker Pelosi with San Francisco liberalism and the like. You know, Governor Newsom, certainly there have been concerns about things that have happened in California. As you say, quality of life, particularly post-pandemic. Some of this handling of the pandemic also will be called into scrutiny were he to run on the national stage. But, he was someone who’s handed a political gift earlier this year when he became sort of the face of Democratic opposition to President Trump during those moments in Los Angeles —“
BRZEZINSKI: “Yeah.”
LEMIRE: “— with the ice raids, the accompanying protests, you know, some of the perceived to be overreach by the federal government deploying the National Guard, and the like. Governor Newsom stood up to President Trump in a strong way. And that would be his pitch, guys, is that, ‘I’m a fighter here. I tackled him — I took him on in his first term. I’m doing it again now. I could represent —‘“
BRZEZINSKI: “Right.”
LEMIRE: “‘— our party going forward.’”