Gavin Newsom tries to be relatable to black audience by saying he did poorly on SATs, 'can't read a speech'

While promoting his new memoir, California Gov. Gavin Newsom bragged that he's "just like" the mostly black, Georgia crowd because he did poorly on the SATs and "cannot read a speech." At an event during the opening weekend of his multistate book tour to promote his new memoir, "Young Man in a Hurry," Newsom delivered a rambling, self-effacing aside about his academic record and discomfort reading prepared remarks.

He told the mostly black crowd in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday during a sit-down with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens that he was “like you,” calling himself “a 960 SAT guy” and saying, “You’ve never seen me read a speech, because I cannot read a speech.” He went on to describe living with dyslexia and being the student “in the back of the classroom,” hoping not to be called on. This, he indicated, mirrored his Georgia audience.

"I'm on the other, you know this, I'm on the other side. I just am. I'm on the other side, you know, I don't want to dream of regretting anymore, Newsom said. “No 'could've, would've, should've.' It's all out there, and I just want to put it all out there. I'm not, you know, I'm not trying to impress you. I'm just trying to impress upon you. I'm like you. I'm no better than you. You know, I'm a 960 SAT guy.”

He added, "You've never seen me read a speech, because I cannot read a speech. Maybe the wrong business to be. You know, my dyslexia. I haven't overcome dyslexia. I'm living with it. You know, I was the guy in the back of the classroom, and my head down just praying the teacher didn't call on me. I dropped, I went through, I mean, I lost count of how many schools I had to go to."

During a Nashville tour stop, Newsom said he opposed voter ID and the SAVE Act because he lost his birth certificate when he was 7-year-old and wouldn't even know how to get a copy of it. He was born in San Francisco and was the mayor of that city as well. Newsom also travels internationally and a birth certificate is a requirement to obtain a passport. 

The remarks came as Newsom kicked off a run of appearances tied to the memoir’s release on Feb. 24. The tour began with a Nashville stop on Saturday, Feb. 21, followed by the Atlanta event on Sunday. Additional appearances were listed for Feb. 23 in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and Feb. 24 in New York, followed by West Coast events in San Francisco (Feb. 28) and Los Angeles (March 3).

Newsom’s tour has drawn attention not only because it’s an unusual itinerary for a sitting governor, but also because it lands in early-voting and politically influential states that often matter in presidential nominating contests. South Carolina, where Newsom has scheduled events with the state Democratic Party, has been a particular focus of speculation about his national ambitions.

Newsom has not yet formally announced a presidential run but the book plus the book tour are classic indicators that he is pursuing a run for president on the Democratic ticket.