DETROIT  (Tribune News Service) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is spending his Independence Day near Lake Michigan, dropping into the state to campaign for President Joe Biden amid rampant questions swirling about the Democratic president’s reelection chances after last week’s lackluster debate performance.

Newsom is listed as a special guest Thursday at the Van Buren County Democratic Party’s July 4th “BBQ for Biden-Harris” event in South Haven, according to a Facebook page advertising the event.

The Biden campaign touted Newsom’s stop in west Michigan in a Wednesday statement indicating campaign officials were “excited” for his visit to a Lake Michigan beach town where the year-round population of 4,000 swells in the summertime with tourists and seasonal residents, particularly from the Democratic stronghold of Chicago.

“As president, Joe Biden has always looked out for Michigan, creating good-paying jobs, lowering costs and fighting for our freedoms, and we’re looking forward to mobilizing voters across west Michigan to send him back to the White House,” said Ed Duggan, state director for the Biden-Harris campaign.

Longtime political observers, however, said the last-minute trip to a crucial Midwest swing state appears to be as much about Newsom positioning himself for a future presidential run as trying to boost the Biden campaign during a low moment.

“(Newsom) has national ambitions. Everybody knows it,” said Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, noting that swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are crucial to politicians with their eyes on the White House.

“If Biden drops, and they actually have an open convention — which I doubt — (Newsom) will probably be running. I don’t think he’ll even have a choice about it,” Sabato added. Biden affirmed to Democrats on a call Wednesday that he was not exiting the race, according to the Associated Press.

“I am running. I am the leader of the Democratic Party. No one is pushing me out,” Biden said, according to a top aide who posted his comment on the X social media platform.

Sabato pointed out that Newsom — despite the swirling speculation he could replace Biden — was one of the first Democrats to appear on television after last week’s debate against Republican Donald Trump and back Biden despite his “dreadful, historically awful performance.”

Newsom, Sabato said, “is doing yeoman service for Biden and hopes to get something back from it. Welcome to politics.”

Matthew Dowd, a Michigan political strategist who’s worked to support both Republicans and Democrats, agreed.

“I think it’s the right thing to do to support the party, but I also think it’s smart politically for Gavin Newsom because it shows the party he’s not one of the ones abandoning ship,” Dowd said.

Both Dowd and Sabato said they view Michigan as a crucial bellwether in this year’s election, making it a top destination for Democratic surrogates. “Tell me Michigan results, and I’ll tell you who wins the presidency,” Dowd said.

“I don’t know why the rest of us pay attention to the campaign,” Sabato said. “We don’t matter, but Michigan matters.”

For all of Michigan’s importance, it’s not clear to some that Newsom’s visit will help Biden.

Political consultant Adrian Hemond, a Democrat and CEO of the Lansing-based firm Grassroots Midwest, said Newsom’s appearance in South Haven could help raise his profile in southwest Michigan but will do nothing to help the Biden-Harris ticket in the Great Lakes state.

“A slick, well-heeled politician from California, that’s not what the voters in west Michigan are looking for. I’m sure he helps energize Democrats who know who he is,” Hemond said. “But in terms of shoring up the Biden campaign in the places where it’s suffering right now — i.e. independents — yeah, Gavin Newsom is gonna do nothing for you.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, meanwhile, is expected in Washington, D.C., Wednesday to participate in a meeting with Democratic governors and Biden at the White House, an event that is expected to focus on shoring up support for the president after the debate.

Newsom and Whitmer are among several names floated to replace Biden should he withdraw from the presidential race. Their names have largely been featured as possible replacements alongside Vice President Kamala Harris.

Some political pundits and at least one Democratic congressman, Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, have called on Biden to leave the presidential race after the president was soft-spoken, rambling and, at times, incoherent during last Thursday’s debate.

Both Newsom and Whitmer have made public statements of support for Biden in the midst of the debate fallout, with Whitmer reiterating Monday that she “100%” believes Biden can carry Michigan in November. Whitmer is Biden’s campaign co-chair.

“Not only do I believe Joe can win Michigan, I know he can because he’s got the receipts: he’s lowered health care costs, brought back manufacturing jobs and is committed to restoring the reproductive freedom women lost under Donald Trump,” Whitmer said in a Monday statement.

Newsom campaigned as a surrogate for the Biden campaign in Nevada and South Carolina earlier this year. He has plans to stump in Pennsylvania Saturday and in New Hampshire Monday, according to a social media post by Newsom’s Deputy Communications Director Brandon Richards.

Newsom’s stop in Van Buren County isn’t the campaign’s first foray in West Michigan. In February, Harris participated in a roundtable discussion on abortion with Whitmer and, in April, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker campaigned on behalf of Biden in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Holland.

First lady Jill Biden made a campaign stops in west Michigan on Wednesday as well, which the Michigan Republican Party ridiculed with a statement greeting “the real President Biden to Michigan.”

“Under Joe Biden’s failed leadership, our economy is in shambles, our manufacturing jobs are on the chopping block, and our neighbors are being victimized by illegal immigrants. We are in desperate need of commonsense solutions, and Michiganders know it,” Michigan GOP and Team Trump Michigan spokeswoman Victoria LaCivita said in a statement.

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