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Lacking both money and political momentum, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom withdrew from the California governor's race today.
Lacking both money and political momentum, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom withdrew from the California governor's race today."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. "This is not an easy decision," he said. "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." Newsom's withdrawal leaves state Attorney General Jerry Brown, who has yet to declare his candidacy, as the lone major Democrat in the 2010 race. Brown issued a statement saying, "Mayor Newsom is a talented public official and I believe he has a bright future.I am sure this was not an easy decision." The latest Field Poll showed Brown with a 20-point advantage over Newsom, double the lead he held in March. Brown also has been raising far more money than Newsom. Through June, he reported bringing in $7.4 million more than the mayor. Before announcing his withdrawal, Newsom abruptly canceled a campaign event that had been scheduled for tonight in Southern California, setting off speculation among his fundraisers that he was pulling out. At a City Hall news conference dealing with the bay oil spill, Newsom was asked whether he would be in town this weekend. He said he would be, and that reporters "would have a political story Sunday." He did not elaborate. For Newsom - who reported having just $1.2 million on hand as of June - the task of raising enough money to challenge Brown was daunting. Recent spending reports show that even a big Los Angeles fundraiser with former President Bill Clinton pulled in just 13 individual contributions over $5,000 - hardly the kind of cash haul to signal Newsom would be able to mount a serious challenge. Posted by: Fred 2009-10-31 |
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