CA-GOV

Gavin Newsom Returns For Statewide Campaign: Will Run For Lt. Gov.

Christina Bellantoni | March 11, 2010, 9:14PM

San Fransisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D)

The Los Angeles Times is reporting tonight that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will announce a bid to be California's lieutenant governor on Friday. It seems all but certain since he took out papers to file for the No. 2 statewide position and paid the fee to get the ball rolling.

Newsom dropped his bid for governor last October, citing unspecified family reasons. California Democrats said at the time he wasn't earning enough support or donations. Since then, former governor and former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown has taken the lead. Republican candidates eBay founder Meg Whitman and Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner are facing off for the Republican nomination. (Our coverage of the race is here.)

The current TPM Poll Average of this race shows Brown with 44.4 percent and Whitman with 40.9 percent.

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Gavin Newsom

Gavin Newsom Throws Tantrum In First Interview Since Dropping Gov. Bid

Christina Bellantoni | November 23, 2009, 11:23AM

San Fransisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D)

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was irritable during a recent interview about the city's budget deficit, telling a reporter he was "disappointed" in the line of questioning.

It was his first sit-down with the press since he last month abruptly and without explanation dropped out of the race to be California's next governor.

In the Thursday interview, Newsom criticized CBS 5 political reporter Hank Plante, who asked about the mayor's recent travel schedule and unusual behavior since ending his political bid.

Newsom wanted to talk about San Francisco's $522 million budget deficit but ended up playing defense against Plante's questions. As he left the interview while the cameras were still rolling, he told Plante "off the record," he was disappointed.

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CA-GOV

Gavin Newsom Drops Out Of California Gubernatorial Race

Eric Kleefeld | October 30, 2009, 6:19PM

San Fransisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D)

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has dropped out of the California gubernatorial race, citing unspecified family obligations.

"With a young family and responsibilities at City Hall, I have found it impossible to commit the time required to complete this effort the way it needs to - and should be - done," Newsom said in a statement.

Newsom had trailed the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, state Attorney General and former Governor Jerry Brown, in both poll numbers, organizational support and fundraising. With Newsom now out of the race, Brown's road to the Democratic nomination -- and perhaps even to to the governor's mansion after a 28-year absence -- is now that much clearer.

Late Update: The Los Angeles Times seems to put this development down to a lack of support for Newsom's candidacy:

Although Newsom had been effectively running for more than a year, his campaign never gained much traction. Even in his hometown, which Newsom touted as a model of cutting-edge policies, his candidacy was widely derided among civic insiders.

Perhaps most telling was the absence of support from the major San Francisco donors who helped underwrite Newsom's successful campaigns in the city. He also drew relatively few endorsements from the ranks of his fellow elected officials.

CA-GOV

Poll: Jerry Brown Beating Republicans For CA-GOV, Newsom Trailing GOPers

Eric Kleefeld | September 28, 2009, 4:52PM

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) and CA Attorney General Jerry Brown (D)

A new Rasmussen poll of California finds that of the two Democratic candidates for governor, state Attorney General Jerry Brown and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Brown is currently much more electable than Newsom.

The poll tested Brown, who was himself governor in the 1970's and early 1980's, leads all three Republicans: Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, and former Rep. Tom Campbell. Newsom, on the other hand, trails all three Republicans -- though the pollster's analysis suggests that this could change if Newsom were to actually win the nomination, given the state's Democratic leanings.

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