Transcript of Gov. Gavin Newsom & Dr. Jermaine Johnson on South Carolina Governor’s Race New

Donald Trump facing a nightmare scenario in South Carolina. The latest polling out of South Carolina from The Economist and YouGov has Donald Trump's approval at net negative 26. Let me repeat that. Trump's approval in what was once viewed as ruby red South Carolina is net negative 26 according to very credible pollsters. With that as background, you had Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom heading into South Carolina. He's on a 3-state Southern tour, and there are massive crowds there. There is a massive movement that's brewing in South Carolina. I mean, take a look at this packed house everywhere he's been going in the South. He's been greeted with massive crowds. I'll just show you this short clip right here. Let's play it.

To the governor of California, Governor Gavin Newsom.

And there's a big Senate race in South Carolina where the Democrats could win. There's a big governor's race that people need to pay attention to as well in South Carolina, where the Democrats could win. You've got Dr. Jermaine Johnson. He's a state representative, has an incredible story. He was out campaigning with California Governor Gavin Newsom today. Why don't we bring in California Governor Gavin Newsom and State Representative Dr. Jermaine Johnson, and let's ask them about what's really going on on the ground in South Carolina. Let's bring 'em in. I'm joined by California Governor Gavin Newsom along with Dr. Jermaine Johnson, a state representative in South Carolina. Running for that opener— opening governor's seat over there in South Carolina, Governor Newsom. Dr. Johnson, great to see you both. Governor Newsom, I wanna ask you first, you're at Allen University today, the HBCU right there. You've been doing this tour of 3 southern states, the Take It Back Tour. Talk to us about why you're in South Carolina, what you're seeing in South Carolina. We'd love to hear.

I mean, just energy everywhere. I mean, and I'm not— I know that's rote and clichéd, and I know sometimes we're quote unquote paid to say that. Trust me, standing room only crowds. People have not given in to cynicism, fear, and anxiety. People are showing up 60 days to go, showing up in a sprint. They're also showing up for this guy. And if you don't know this guy, Ben, I mean, this is— you talk about a life story and he can tell it better than anybody. He was just talking to the students here at Allen University. But for someone that went to 7 high schools, that was homeless, Someone that was counted out over and over and over again. Even some people suggested he should drop out of this race, and then he comes in with almost 60% of the vote in the primary. This is a special guy, and I've been honored to spend a little time with him, but more importantly, been honored to spend time with his constituents that are reverential about his prospects.

Governor, when you're— when you've been doing this tour in these southern states, anything that's really surprising to you? You know, here we are, September 2026, midterms approaching, big governor's race in South Carolina, big races across the country. Anything strike you in terms of meeting people, hearing what people are saying from maybe when we talked, you know, last year or mid-last year?

I was walking Dexter Avenue with a Freedom Rider. She said, I can't believe we're fighting the same fights. I mean, this is a pretty sober moment, man. I mean, the fact that we're talking, folks are asking about this post office and whether or not they're gonna get their absentee ballots in time. or if they do get them, whether or not they're going to get sent back in time. It's a remarkable moment in American history. I think what people want more than anything else is to be seen, heard, and a lot of people, forgive me, want to be hugged. It's an emotional time, and particularly for people here in the South that are bearing the brunt of the assault on voting rights, civil rights, and the rollback of the same, the anti-DEI, anti-woke, movement. And you come to a campus like this, man, you see the best and the brightest, this conveyor belt for talent at Allen University, and it gives you hope that if we can just persevere, keep our heads down, and just do the job in the next 60 days, we can take things back.

You know, I hear a lot of people, pundits, talk about political messaging and 3.5 points to the right. I say you're missing the point. This is about humanity right now. This is about survival. This is about what our future world is going to look like for other generations. So, Dr. Johnson, I want to talk to you right now about this race. I want to talk about your background, your story. Share with our audience who may not know about this race just a little bit about you and why this race in South Carolina is so important.

Well, you know, first of all, I appreciate you for allowing me to share my story on here. Uh, my story has gone viral a few times now at this point because of how interesting it has been. You know, I talked about my upbringing. I was born in the '80s. If anybody remembers the '80s, it was the crack epidemic. And unfortunately, my family suffered from substance abuse issues, but they got clean from that substance abuse issue, but they traded in another one for another addiction, which was gambling. And that gambling addiction is what had me living in motels a good bit of my upbringing, living in Motel 6, Travelodge Inn, Evergreen Motel, a lot of those side street motels where there's lots of drugs, gangs, prostitution, and those different types of things. My older brother ran away from home when he was younger, and he was murdered by his best friend. You know, I had another older brother that did some wrongdoing, ended up going to jail for 6 years. And I had an AAU basketball coach that wanted to get me out of my environment. So they sent me to a prep school in upstate New York.

And I get to that prep school, and that's the first time I realized that my life wasn't like everybody else's life. I realized that I wanted something better for myself, and I ended up getting a scholarship to go play basketball at the College of Charleston. Got down there, graduated College of Charleston, met my beautiful wife. Ended up going to play professional basketball overseas for 6 years, continued studying, got my master's degree, got my doctorate degree, came home, started a nonprofit organization to help other individuals not go through what I went through coming up, ran for office and unseated a 22-year incumbent to become the first African American and the youngest to represent my district. So I literally went from no house to the State House. And but I tell that story, because I love for people to know that their past does not define their future. that their current circumstance does not dictate their future outcomes. And I truly believe representation matters and that we can do better if we provide opportunities for other individuals out here across this country and across the state of South Carolina.

Yeah, story where you've defied odds throughout your life, defied odds in politics, defied odds in the primaries here. So the question that everybody says is, it's South Carolina. There's been a Republican governor for quite some time. If you were to win, it would be the first time there's been a Democratic governor in decades at this point. So can you defy odds? You know, when I do these segments, South Carolina has a great deal of momentum. People love to hear it, Dr. Johnson, but then some people are like, Ben, don't feed me the hopium. Don't put me through this if it's not real. So talk to us about how real it is.

Yes, well, it's extremely real what's happening right here. Like you just heard the governor say, it's been standing room only. I mean, people are excited everywhere we go. They're chanting New SC, uh, you know, all around the state. And the polling numbers shows exactly what I knew was happening, that we are neck and neck with everybody here. And, you know, it's funny because it's interesting that they say South Carolina picks presidents, but yet we don't ever want to invest in South Carolina, but yet we pick presidents. You know, it's kind of backwards thinking. So what we are seeing right now on the ground is exactly what has been confirmed through our polling, is that people are ready for change. 57% of our poll was Republicans and they are fed up. They want something different. They want a new kind of Democrat, a different kind of Democrat, somebody who understands what everyday working South Carolinians are going through. And I'm meeting them all across the state. I'm going to places where no candidate has ever been before. I'm showing up, I'm shaking hands, I'm doing everything that I have to do, and I'm talking about my life story so they understand that I am— I can relate to them.

I am them, and I understand their struggles. Their struggles are my struggles, and we want to provide those opportunities. So it is real. It is happening, and I can't wait for November when we elect me to be the next governor of South Carolina.

Let's talk about who you're running against, because we actually have the control group and the variable group, in that we've seen what MAGA has actually done to this country and to South Carolina and what MAGA politics gets us. So you're running against the MAGA Republican state attorney general, right, Allen Wilson, who's been attached at the hip to these MAGA policies that have hurt the people, inflicted not hypothetical pain. Right. That's what the new playbook from Trump and people like Allen Wilson are. Imagine how bad it would— I don't want to imagine. I've seen right now what you are doing right now, and you've hurt people. And whether you're a farmer, whether you're working in a factory, whether you are just trying to get by and pay your whatever your position in life, you've been screwed by these policies. So talk to us about that.

Yes. Well, essentially, this is the new South Carolina running against the old South Carolina. The new South Carolina is actually going to care about people and lead with compassion and love and understanding. What has happened in this state for the last over 2 decades is we are 43rd in education. We have an abysmal healthcare system. We have the worst infrastructure in the entire country. Our insurance carriers do better in South Carolina than any other state in the country. We have a higher homicide rate than California. We have over 600 unsolved murders in South Carolina just since 2020. Yesterday, a 3-year-old toddler got a gun and shot himself, and he's dead now. These issues are happening all over South Carolina, and it seems like the individuals who are in power do not care. They have a single-party rule, a supermajority in the House, a supermajority in the Senate. They have the governor's office, they have treasurer, they have agriculture, they have the attorney general, they have education, they have every congressional district with the exception of Congressman Clyburn. They have all the power that they could ever wish to have. If they wanted to call us back to session tomorrow and pass a law, they could actually do so.

And case in point is when they started talking about redistricting, they took them 72 hours to come up with a bill to do redistricting. Can you imagine if they worked that hard to fix education? Could you imagine they worked that hard to fix healthcare? Could you imagine if they worked that hard to bring justice to all these families that are sitting here looking for how to go— just go on with life? That's what's happening here in this state right now is people are fed up. They want to know where their tax dollars are going and why they haven't fixed those potholes that are all over our streets. They want to know where their tax dollars are going, why we are still not getting the equitable education opportunities for our young people. They want to know why they can't afford their prescription drugs here in South Carolina. This is what's happening, and people are ready for change. They're ready for something different, and they don't care if it's Republican or Democrat or anybody, anything else. They want something better and they deserve it.

And by the way, Ben, it's an important point because, you know, the governor of this state right now, in not 72 hours but in 7.2 seconds, can affix his signature on a piece of paper and provide Medicaid expansion for tens of thousands of people that are struggling and suffering in this state. I mean, this is, this is one of the 10 states that refuses that expansion. This is one of those states that has no minimum wage. I mean, if we didn't even have $7.25 as a federal floor, I can't even imagine what those in power would be paid. These are people working full-time, less than $15,000, about $15,000 a year. This guy can change that literally like that. So, you know, if you don't fight, you can't win. And I want to make a point, Ben, to your earlier point. What's really— what's changed here is you have 124 districts in this state. For the first time in state's history—

Yeah.

history, we finally have a Democrat running and competing in every one of those districts. Never before. They just— there was never this mindset. So that's going to lift votes. That gets people to come out. Now they have a reason to come out for that local race. That also is going to change the dynamics. That's the mindset. And that's why I'm here. And you've seen, obviously, the quality of this candidate, but also the quality of the organization that's being built out here through the Democratic Party.

Look, if Trump and these MAGA Republicans and people like Alan Wilson simply did not care. I say this humbly, that would probably be an upgrade from what we have now because it's worse than them not caring. They seem to hate us. I mean, they truly seem to actually take joy and delight in the suffering that their corruption and making all this money off the grift and the quid pro quos, that that didn't satiate their sick appetite. that they need to also not just take all the wealth, but then like laugh at us while we suffer. Like there's an enjoyment in the suffering from people, in my view, like the Trumps and the Allen Wilsons and people like that. Talk about that because this corruption issue— but it's not just talking about corruption, which is important. It's in contrast to what they've done to people in South Carolina. Talk about that, Governor.

Yeah, well, it's funny because When I'm talking to these individuals, these people who are in positions of power, they will tell me straight out they don't believe in nothing Donald Trump is saying. But then they will go out on the, on the floor and do the complete opposite of what they just told me behind closed doors. When they'll get in front of cameras and do something completely different, say something completely different. They are cowards. And I've told them that to their face. I've said, you are a coward. They say, well, at least you didn't call me a racist. I said, yeah, but I still think you're a coward. Because you have to stand up for what's right no matter who's in the White House. I don't care if it's Republican or Democrat in the White House. If what they're trying to do does not benefit the people of South Carolina, I will stand against it. And that is exactly what we need in a leader, not somebody who's going to be just a puppet for the president of the United States. No, somebody who's going to do what's right for the people, for the most marginalized individuals around this state.

And that is what has been missing for far too long. I mean, when you have an attorney general that's been there for 16 years, But yet our crime continues to rise. And then some of the things that are happening to our seniors in these areas, he's saying it's not even his job to do it. That is a problem. That is a problem when you don't fight for the most marginalized people in this state, because who are we if we are not taking care of the least of these?

Governor Newsom, I got a question for you, and Dr. Johnson said this, so I'm just going to repeat, repeat his words, which is South Carolina is a state that picks presidents. And I'm not going to go there with you because you'll dodge the question, so I'm not gonna even ask it, but I have enough—

No confidence, no confidence.

Come on, man.

Test me.

So, but I have another question. What would you say though to a future administration that sees the Trump regime putting in their golden ballrooms and all of these things? What should happen to the golden ballrooms and Trump building these monuments to himself? What's your view of that, hypothetically?

Come on, man. He came in saying he's gonna make us healthier and wealthier. We're sicker and poorer. He's cut Medicaid. for more and more still for his family, not just for himself, his friends, the Witkoffs, the Lutniks, the Kushner family. I mean, this is the great grift. It's a corruption story. And the vainglory of a ballroom, what's happening with these arches and gold dollar coins, Trump-Kennedy— I mean, this is madness. All of the distraction, Lake Ontario to Lake America, the Gulf of America, the all-cap tweets. I mean, it's just madness. At the same time, people are struggling, suffering. We could talk in terms of Armageddon here for farmers in South Carolina that are paying record-breaking diesel prices right now, about to harvest. They can't export now to Canada because we've gone after the war of our biggest ally, one of the biggest export markets here in South Carolina. The cost of fertilizer, the cost across the board because of these tariffs and trade policy. I mean, it's an extraordinary moment in American history. Meanwhile, Donald Trump gets $1.4 billion off crypto. He gets $2.2 billion overall for one year of work. The great grift, this corruption story, as people here in South Carolina are struggling for something sane, for something decent.

I love this guy used the word, you know, empathy and care and compassion. This guy has none of those things. It's all about power. It's about dominance. It's about aggression. That's weakness. That's weakness masquerading as strength.

Yeah, and I think the world's seeing its weakness masquerading as weirdness and weakness, you know, at the same time. It's bizarre. Dr. Johnson, where can people find out more about the campaign? Where can they learn more about you?

Well, they can just go to johnsonforsc.com, that's J-O-H-N-S-O-N-F-O-R-S-C dot com, because we need people to tune in to what we are doing. Check out the policies, check out what we stand for. And this is not just something I'm talking about doing. This is something I've been doing for years. So I don't just talk about stuff. I actually have already put to work all of these ideas and these, these plans that I have because I love people to actually be who they are supposed to be. And that is the leader. I'm a servant leader and I'm gonna continue working for the people of South Carolina. And hopefully I'll be working for the people of this country because once we change South Carolina, I want you to imagine what the rest of the country is gonna say once we elect me as the next governor of South Carolina. Every other state is gonna say, if they can do it in South Carolina, We can do it here. So we're going to build this new South Carolina together.

New SC.

That's right.

Empathy, compassion for the people. Dr. Jermaine Johnson, thank you. California Governor Gavin Newsom, come back on. Both of you, we'd love to have you. We'll be following this race. Thank you.

Good to be with you.

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