Posted on 10/30/2009 4:37:30 PM PDT by SmithL
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom made a surprise announcement Friday afternoon that he was dropping out of the gubernatorial race, leaving the Democrats with no declared candidate for the top statewide office.
Attorney General Jerry Brown has opened an exploratory committee for governor but has yet to formally announce his candidacy.
Nonetheless, Brown has opened a wide lead over Newsom in both fund-raising and in polls.
"It is with great regret I announce today that I am withdrawing from the race for governor of California," Newsom said in a statement. "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.
"This is not an easy decision. But it is one made with the best intentions for my wife, my daughter, the residents of the city and county of San Francisco, and California Democrats."
In a written statement, Brown said of Newsom's departure from the race, "Mayor Newsom is a talented public official and I believe he has a bright future. I am sure this was not an easy decision. Anne and I wish Gavin and his family all the best."
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
God, that’s all Cali needs, another dose of Governor Moonbeam...
Dirty laundry? Moonbeam would be better than Newsom. Maybe a chance for a conservative Republican?
Dirty laundry? Moonbeam would be better than Newsom. Maybe a chance for a conservative Republican?
::::::::
Moonbeam is no where as RADICAL and LAWBREAKING as Newsom. Everything is relative, but we in Taxifornia are better off with Moonbeam. Newsom should have been put in prison for the laws he broke, and in general, thrown out of his job for his attitude toward the will of the people. He is a radical lib with no regard for the law. Maybe he has been offered a czar job by Obama??? His resume fits.
Jerry Brown is 71-years-old. It’s time for him to RETIRE!
Maybe we could find a decent Republican to run in this race, against Geriatric Brown.
(Just kidding! But it would be nice if we could, wouldn’t it?)
“There he goes ready or not!”
Someone’s got him by the nuts somehow. As for Moonbeam, he was a great mayor for Oakland, seriously. He did a super job. He had economic development and neighborhood safety at the top of the list there. He was walking around by himself talking to people in the community at night. For a white guy to do that in Oakland is amazing, and I’m not exaggerating.
I’m not sure he couldn’t fix California.
Before you blow chow all over your keyboard, the guy has become an economic realist over the years. Only Nixon could go to China, and with the moonbats firmly in control in Sacramento, perhaps they will listen to one of their own?
I LOVE Dr. Savage’s name for this guy:
“Any Twosome Newsome” LOL!
Sorry to laugh at your dilemma but the rest of the country loves the idea
Yeah, Oakland is a regular Elysian Fields now.
It was getting better until Ron Dellums took over as Mayor. Then it went straight down the Kwame Kirkpatrick/David Dinkins/Harold Washington/Marion Barry drain.
Just curious. Is this the same “young family” that Newsome previously cheated on?
It has been assumed all along that Brown would get the nomination...all he had to do was declare.
Bill Clinton is PO’d at this news.
This is hugh & series!
$10 says Newsom joins the O Team.
Maybe we could find a decent Republican to run in this race.....
Yes, like George Rafferty, but that may date me, ya think?
He doesn’t seem to have much influence over which candidate to vote for—remember when politicians were afraid to have Clinton campaign for them?
I don’t know what’s up with his “young family”. I thought he had no kids. He and his former wife had no kids together. I didn’t even know he got remarried.
Geez, I can’t believe there aren’t more Democrats wanting to run for governor. Could it be that with California’s huge problems, not too many ambitious politicians want to be the governor of California?????
I’d have to agree with you there. If this comes down to a race between Brown and Whitman, I’m not voting for her. Brown ain’t the man he used to be, and in his case that is a good thing.
Remember Govs. appoint judges.
any Democrat will make it possible for gay marriage
and the regular Liberal agenda.
Many FReepers like this as it will then give them something to bitch about
Gerry Brown is still MoonBeam.
I remember when his dad Pat Brown was Gov. and remember
when Gerry was Gov. years back.
I guess as a Republican, I don’t want a rerun of the
Browns again or anyother Democrat.
THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds like somebody’s got some serious dirt on the boy or he’d still be in. He really wanted it (so I’m told).
Good riddance!!!!!
It’s true. Shockingly, it’s true. You’re right. CA managed to produce a viable contender WORSE than Moonbeam. Gavin Newsom would be just like zero, and that’s WORSE than Jerry Brown.
Different times, different man.
Agree 100%, but I still feel like we dodged a bullet - well maybe we dodged a .45 with the serious chance of still getting hit with a .38.
Dellums took over. Nuff said.
really? so he won't appoint liberal judges?
Somethings up in the Newsom party...or O is movin him to D.C. Czar
OMG...has everyone forgot SCJ Rose Bird etc etc....Governor Moonbean again. Has California lost their minds.
So since you are a Jerry Brown supporter, your support goes to gay marriage, amnesty,open borders, sanctuary cities
for illegals, against the death penality, legalize drugs,
and anti war.
You are probably orgasmic that you guy Marxist Obama won.
Newsom is just a Frisco creature.
He would never carry San Diego
I think CA people will yearn for a return of Jerry Brown, considering the dismal performances of his former chief-of-staff, Gray Davis, and Davis’s involuntary successor masquerading as a “Republican”.
Yes, many years ago!
I can’t imagine any “dirt” that would turn off the people of CA.
Demanded a $2 million bribe from a $1 billion company I am familiar with that considered moving to Oakland. (Not for himself, of course.) Seriously. The company moved out to the sticks.
I can, and I live here.
He had that scandal with the married staffer awhile back. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. There are also rumors about him at wild parties and some unsavory stuff. Drug use would not surprise me. He’s very ambitious so I can only surmise there’s a dirty jacket on him that he figures might even ruin the gig he’s already got so he’s backing out.
Just a guess.
Yes, I think it is all of the above
Anne?
The GOP frontrunner supports each of those positions (or pretty darn close).
You forget that Brown is very tight with a dollar and left a larger budget surplus than Reagan did when he left office.
He’s not gay? Who knew?
It's a nice thought, but I have the feeling that any obstacle to union ambitions, including a Democratic governor, would be met with the same chainsaw that they ordinarily reserve for Republicans.
Nope, nobody has forgotten. But Jerry Brown has matured a bit since his last stint as governor. There's still plenty to dislike about his ideology, and I don't expect to be happy about his next term as governor. But realistically, he may be the least of the evils we face here in California.
Face it, he's better than any of the other prominent Democrats who would otherwise be competing for the nomination in his absence. He's better than Arnold turned out to be. And although I don't know much about Meg Whitman, what little I've read does not give me much hope that she'd be better than Brown. Perhaps Whitman can be beaten in the Republican primary despite all her money, and the victor will be worth supporting, but I'm not holding my breath.
If I had my druthers, Tom McClintock would be Governor and California would not be spiralling down the drain. Instead, we're reduced to hoping that the next governor will reduce the frequency of flushing. Jerry Brown is the only prominent Democrat who shows any potential for reducing the frequency of flushing.
Maybe, but the unions had a horrible week, and it’s getting worse. Their business model is all done.
The members are going to end up voting them of the island.
From JB’s 74 campaign brocure:
Yet he has greatly expanded California’s criminal justice, environmental, consumer protection, and employment programs.
...............
And do any of these things seem to be a problem in CA NOW?
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