California Governor Gavin Newsom addressed a campaign rally in North Carolina during a tour supporting Democratic candidates ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Video from the event showed the nationally prominent Democrat speaking inside a large venue before thanking those who attended. The appearance came during a multistate trip through the South.
Newsom delivered the remarks Saturday, September 5th, during a Labor Day weekend rally at the Union County Agricultural and Event Complex in Monroe, North Carolina. The event was organized by state and local Democrats and promoted as an opportunity to rally voters behind candidates running throughout the state. Newsom’s appearance also attracted attention because he is widely viewed as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028.
The governor stood on a low platform surrounded by campaign signs as he reached the end of his speech. When the camera turned toward the audience, the visible portion of the room appeared sparsely populated. No independently verified attendance total was immediately available, and the footage did not show every portion of the venue.
Newsom used his closing remarks to predict that Democrats would capture control of the House and elevate Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to the speakership. “I want to come back here to North Carolina in a year when Speaker Jeffries is successfully elected as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. Thank you guys very much,” Newsom said in the video. The governor then concluded his appearance.
The Monroe event followed a separate campaign stop in Charlotte, where Newsom joined volunteers knocking on doors for Democratic Senate candidate Roy Cooper and Mecklenburg County Democrats. As local outlet WBTV reported, both appearances were part of Newsom’s “Take It Back” tour through Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The tour brought Newsom to several Southern communities as he campaigned for Democratic candidates amid continued attention to a possible 2028 presidential bid.
Newsom told his Monroe audience to concentrate on the approaching midterms instead of the next presidential contest. “My entire life I’ve seen the expansion of rights. Now it’s rights regression. This is it — don’t focus on 2028,” he said. Newsom added that the Democratic Party’s “biggest mistake” was watching cable television and immediately turning its attention toward the next presidential election.
Watch Newsom finish his speech at the North Carolina rally here:
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The California governor also criticized President Donald Trump and accused him of attempting a “cultural purge” and trying to nationalize elections. Newsom focused part of his speech on voting procedures, including Republican-backed changes affecting mail-in ballots. “Donald Trump is ruthless,” he told the Democratic gathering. “This election is it.”
Republicans responded before and during Newsom’s visit by portraying his appearance as an effort to bring California’s progressive policies to North Carolina. A spokesman for Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley accused Cooper and Newsom of attempting to bring California’s “progressive agenda” into the state. Monroe Mayor Robert Burns also noted that Newsom had traveled approximately 3,000 miles to campaign in his city, telling the visiting governor, “You and your party should be worried.”
Newsom appeared alongside North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton, Judges Toby Hampson and Christine Walczyk, and North Carolina AFL-CIO President Braxton Winston. He urged Democrats to campaign more aggressively in state and local races. Newsom told the assembled supporters that it was time for his party to “fight fire with fire” before concluding, “Thank you guys very much.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.