San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has dropped out of the California gubernatorial race, citing unspecified family obligations.
“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.
Newsom had trailed the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, state Attorney General and former Governor Jerry Brown, in both poll numbers, organizational support and fundraising. With Newsom now out of the race, Brown’s road to the Democratic nomination — and perhaps even to to the governor’s mansion after a 28-year absence — is now that much clearer.
Late Update: The Los Angeles Times seems to put this development down to a lack of support for Newsom’s candidacy:
Although Newsom had been effectively running for more than a year, his campaign never gained much traction. Even in his hometown, which Newsom touted as a model of cutting-edge policies, his candidacy was widely derided among civic insiders.
Perhaps most telling was the absence of support from the major San Francisco donors who helped underwrite Newsom’s successful campaigns in the city. He also drew relatively few endorsements from the ranks of his fellow elected officials.
