Gavin Newsom Career Timeline: From Early Years to Presidential Hopeful

Born in 1967 to William Newsom, a California Superior Court judge, and Tessa Thomas (née Menzies), a waitress and paralegal, Newsom had political exposure from his early years. He pursued a degree in political science from Santa Clara University in 1989, after which he created the PlumpJack Group winery with Gordon Getty, a family friend and billionaire oil tycoon heir, as an investor.

Newsom became the youngest ever member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors when he was appointed in 1997 by then-Mayor Willie Brown, after hosting a fundraising event for Brown at his PlumpJack Cafe’s private dining room. 

Though his career in public service had just begun, Brown recalled in a 2023 interview with CBS that Newsom already had presidential aspirations.

“There is no way in the world anybody who’s ever met him would answer that question any differently. He would like already to be president,” Brown told the outlet.

Newsom served as Mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011, campaigning on a business-friendly centrist platform. The self-described “social liberal” and “fiscal watchdog” had support in his campaigns from established Democratic Party figures such as Bill Clinton and Al Gore.

In 2004, Newsom urged the city clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in violation of a state law that had passed several years earlier. He also joined striking union hotel workers on the picket line.

As San Francisco’s mayor, Newsom became a key player in major Democratic political campaigns, from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama.

Newsom suspended his campaign for governor in October 2009, filing paperwork to become the state’s Lieutenant Governor just months later in February 2010. He assumed the position in 2011, serving for two terms under Gov. Jerry Brown.

As Newsom had already had his sights set on the Governor’s office, his run to fill Brown’s seat came as no surprise. He began fundraising in 2015 for the 2018 election, which he won in a landslide against Republican challenger John H. Cox. He was sworn into office in 2019.

Newsom faced harsh criticism from his political opponents regarding his pledge to keep California a “sanctuary state” for immigrants, as well as his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw businesses across the state close down while Newsom was spotted dining with lobbyists at the elite Napa Valley restaurant The French Laundry.

While a recall attempt eventually made the ballot, in a move Newsom compared to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, it received just 38% of the vote and failed.

As Newsom more consistently positioned himself as a national voice of authority on issues from immigration to abortion, he developed a high-profile feud with the governor of Florida. DeSantis repeatedly mocked Newsom’s obvious political aspirations, calling Newsom’s delay in launching a presidential campaign bid against Biden “pussyfooting around.”

Newsom likewise took shots at the GOP governor, calling DeSantis a “small, pathetic man,” and floating kidnapping charges against him after immigrants from Florida were “dumped” in California.

Though by the time the 2024 election rolled around, Newsom’s will-he-or-won’t-he relationship with a presidential campaign had garnered headlines for years, he said, amid the speculation and rumors that he’d launch a challenger campaign against former President Joe Biden, that it was “time to move on” and support Biden’s reelection.

Given Gubernatorial term limits, Newsom is on his last legs as governor of California. There will be no incumbent in the 2026 race. In his last years holding the office, Newsom has focused on issues like oil and gas regulations, energy costs, and consumer protections.

In March 2025, Newsom launched his podcast “This is Gavin Newsom.” His first episode featured conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Since Trump took office in his second administration, Newsom has positioned himself as a prominent rival to the president.

When Trump ordered Marines and members of the National Guard to respond to protests in Los Angeles against federal immigration enforcement actions, Newsom filed suit.

“California may be first, but it clearly will not end here,” The BBC reported Newsom warned during a televised address on June 10. “Democracy is under assault before our eyes.”

Though he hasn’t come out and said (yet) he’s planning a presidential bid in 2028, Newsom is certainly the frontrunner for the Democratic candidate thus far. And it appears he’s warming up to the idea in his public comments.

“I’m not thinking about running, but it’s a path that I could see unfold,” the 57-year-old told The Wall Street Journal on June 10.