San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, best known for his bold push for gay marriage in his city, is now running for the No. 2 spot in California politics.
Newsom announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor this morning on CBS 5 in San Francisco.
"If you told me two months ago we'd be sitting down having this conversation, I would say, 'no way,'" he said in the interview with CBS 5 political reporter Phil Matier. "But enough people came to me and made a case for this office."
Newsom dropped out of the gubernatorial race in October after failing to gain traction statewide. He had been trailing California Attorney General Jerry Brown (who is also a former governor) in fundraising, even though Brown had not at that time formally entered the race (he did formally enter the race earlier last week).
The San Francisco mayor has the most name recognition among the Democratic candidates for the position, who will face off in a primary on June 8, and he was ahead in a statewide poll earlier this year of likely primary voters, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Newsom became something of a national figure in 2004 after deciding to grant marriage licenses to gay couples in San Francisco even though it was illegal in the state. His association with California's ongoing gay marriage fight may be a liability in the statewide race, an analyst told the Chronicle.
"He's not someone where people say, 'Gee, we need to have him in state office,'" said Tony Quinn, co-editor of the nonpartisan California Target Book, which analyzes state races.
His likely Republican opponent is state Sen. Abel Maldonado.
His likely Republican opponent is state Sen. Abel Maldonado.
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