Democratic · California
Gavin Newsom
Governor of California; former lieutenant governor and San Francisco mayor
Gavin Newsom has been California's 40th governor since 2019 and will hand off to Governor-elect Xavier Becerra, after earlier serving as lieutenant governor (2011–2019) and San Francisco mayor (2004–2011) (Wikipedia). He was reelected in 2022 after surviving a 2021 recall effort, pushed Proposition 50's congressional redistricting, which voters approved with 64.4% in 2025, and is a potential 2028 presidential candidate (Wikipedia).
2026 race
Governor of California
Result Not on the 2026 ballot (reelected 2022)
Biography
Born in San Francisco in 1967, Newsom graduated from Santa Clara University in 1989 and founded the PlumpJack Group, which grew to manage 23 businesses including wineries, restaurants and hotels. He was appointed to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1997 and in 2003 became the city's youngest elected mayor in a century, directing the clerk to issue marriage licenses to thousands of same-sex couples. He was elected lieutenant governor in 2010 and governor in 2018, and as governor has focused on infrastructure, housing, climate, gun control and LGBTQ rights.
Positions
- Infrastructure and housing policy
- Climate action
- Gun control and LGBTQ rights
Record
- Governor of California (2019–present)
- Lieutenant Governor of California (2011–2019)
- Mayor of San Francisco (2004–2011)
- San Francisco Board of Supervisors (appointed 1997)
Life & background
- Born October 10, 1967, he was raised in San Francisco. [Source]
- He wrote the 2013 book Citizenville, about using digital tools for democratic change. [Source]