Who is Gavin Newsom? Top Democrat floated as Biden replacement

(NewsNation) — After President Joe Biden’s stumbling performance in the first presidential debate of 2024, some Democrats are raising the possibility of nominating an alternate candidate to be the party’s nominee in November.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is the chief name mentioned. He has become one of Biden’s main surrogates during his 2024 campaign.

However, a candidate switch would most likely require President Biden to step out of the race, something his campaign says he has no intention of doing, and the risks are real. Some of the highest-profile potential stand-ins have never endured the vetting and road test of a presidential race, which is a grueling process.

Gavin Newsom’s path to governorship

Gavin Newsom is serving his second term as California’s governor and is the former two-term lieutenant governor of California and former mayor of San Francisco.

Before entering politics, Newsom made a name for himself in business. In 1992, he opened PlumpJack Winery with an investment from Gordon P. Getty, the son of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. This business spawned a string of bars, restaurants and hotels that made him a millionaire.

Shortly after being elected San Francisco mayor in 2004, Newsom made national news when he authorized city officials to issue same-sex marriage licenses in defiance of state law. While he faced criticism, his decision was ultimately vindicated as same-sex marriages later became legal across the country in 2015.

During his time as mayor, he pursued other traditionally liberal policies, including a universal health care program for the city’s residents.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the fast food bill surrounded by fast food workers. — FILE – California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the fast food bill surrounded by fast food workers at the SEIU Local 721 in Los Angeles, on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. Republican leaders in California are calling for an investigation into why a new state law requiring a $20 minimum wage for fast food workers includes an exemption for restaurants like Panera Bread. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Newsom’s political track record

Newsom has emerged as one of the top Democratic leaders in the country after decisively winning his second term as California’s governor in 2022, beating a little-known Republican state senator by mostly ignoring him while campaigning against the policies of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, two leading Republicans who also won reelection in their states.

In September 2021, he easily defeated an attempt to remove him from office fueled by anger over his pandemic policies. The failed recall solidified Newsom’s political power in California, leaving him free to focus on the future, which many expect will include a run for the White House.

“We have governors that won their reelections tonight in other states that are banning books, that are banning speech, that are banning abortion, and here we are in California moving in a completely different direction,” Newsom said in 2022. “That’s a deep point of pride.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom greets President Biden upon his arrival at Los Angeles International Airport to attend the Summit of the Americas on June 8, 2022.

Newsom’s political views

As governor, Newsom worked to tackle issues around reproductive rights, the economy, crime and more. Here is where he stands on the issues.

Supports affirmative action.
Gave $2.6 billion in grants to small businesses and nonprofits.
Opposes defunding Planned Parenthood and welcomes women from states that don’t provide abortions.
Fought to repeal the death penalty, saying criminal justice reform is crucial.
Pushed Proposition 64, legalizing adult use of marijuana.

Newsom’s relationship with Biden

Newsom is arguably the best-equipped of the Democrats considered as a possible alternative to Biden in terms of fundraising chops, messaging and campaign infrastructure. He has long appeared to be running what some consider a sort of “shadow” campaign for himself while on the trail for Biden.

However, Newsom has dismissed concerns about Biden’s candidacy after the rocky debate and reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Biden, calling talks of his potential candidacy “unhelpful and unnecessary.”

“I am old fashioned, but on the substance, Joe Biden won the debate last night. That is what matters to me,” Newsom wrote in a Biden campaign fundraising pitch Friday. “All this other talk … it’s unhelpful and unnecessary.

“We aren’t going to turn our backs because of one performance. What kind of party does that?” he added.

Gavin Newsom political controversies

Newsom drew controversy in 2020 after visiting a Napa Valley restaurant for a dinner party while he asked Californians to adhere to social distancing guidelines during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After receiving backlash for contradicting the spirit of his guidelines and precautions, Newsom acknowledged that the faux pas may result in the loss of his moral authority during the pandemic.

“I want to apologize to you because I need to preach and practice, not just preach and not practice, and I’ve done my best to do that,” Newsom said after drawing criticism. “We’re all human. We all fall short sometimes.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference about repairs for a stretch of Interstate 10. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom, with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, left, speaks during a news conference about repairs for a stretch of Interstate 10, Tuesday morning Nov. 14, 2023, in Los Angeles. It will take at least three weeks to repair the Los Angeles freeway damaged in an arson fire, the Newsom said Tuesday, leaving the city already accustomed to soul-crushing traffic without part of a vital artery that serves hundreds of thousands of people daily. (Dean Musgrove/The Orange County Register via AP)

In the days following his visit to the French Laundry, he also drew fire for the fact that his children were attending school in person while millions of California schoolchildren and their families juggled remote learning with full-time jobs.

Gavin Newsom personal controversies

In December 2001, Newsom married Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former San Francisco prosecutor and legal commentator for CNN and MSNBC. They jointly filed for divorce in January 2005, citing “difficulties due to their careers on opposite coasts.”

Guilfoyle then gained prominence in 2011 through a Fox News chat show and was later named senior adviser to Republican President Donald Trump, who Newsom has heavily criticized.

In 2007, Newsom’s close friend, campaign manager and former chief of staff Alex Tourk confronted Newsom after learning he had been having an affair with his wife Ruby Rippey-Tourk in 2005 while she was Newsom’s appointments secretary. Tourk immediately resigned.

Newsom admitted to the affair the next day and apologized to the public, saying he was “deeply sorry” for his “personal lapse of judgment.”

He began dating film director Jennifer Siebel in October 2006. The couple married in 2008 and now have four children. Just before his second marriage, it was widely reported that Newsom was going to seek treatment for the misuse of alcohol. Newsom later denied the reports.

“My problems with alcohol are not an excuse for my personal lapses in judgment,” he was reported stating at the time. “Upon reflection with friends and family this weekend, I have come to the conclusion that I will be a better person without alcohol in my life.”