Newsom raises $1.7M for state Democrats, tops 2028 rivals
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- Gavin Newsom has raised more than $1.7 million for state Democratic parties and legislative committees this two-year cycle, with state party leaders telling Axios he has out-raised every other prominent Democrat and potential White House rival.
- Newsom raised over $300,000 for the South Carolina Democratic Party — expected to host the first 2028 primary contest — entirely through grassroots email fundraising, according to state party executive director Jay Parmley.
- In New Hampshire, Newsom raised over $220,000 for the state party and more than $56,000 for the state Senate Democratic Caucus, prompting state party chair Raymond Buckley to praise his "phenomenal fundraising assistance."
- Newsom's fundraising reached 14 state parties from more than 74,000 donors, including $158,063 for New Jersey, $154,000 for Michigan, $121,971 for North Carolina, $117,455 for Nevada, and $113,615 for Louisiana.
- Beyond state parties, Newsom raised money for key 2026 Democrats including Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, Georgia gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, and Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola, with his Campaign for Democracy PAC reporting over $14 million cash on hand at the end of June.
- Newsom's small-dollar fundraising machine — built since his 2021 recall election — was architected by Sydney Hibbs and Tim Tagaris, the latter known for building Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential small-donor operation.
Why it matters: Newsom's $1.7 million-plus haul through grassroots emails — without traditional high-dollar events — establishes him as the early front-runner for small-donor Democratic fundraising, a critical infrastructure advantage for any 2028 White House bid. By directing money to early primary states like South Carolina and New Hampshire rather than only his own allies, Newsom is buying goodwill with the party operatives who will shape the next presidential nomination.
