SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Months after abruptly dropping his bid to be California's governor, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he wants to be second in command.
Newsom's intent to seek the lieutenant governor's post didn't come as a surprise — he filed paperwork last month that qualified him to run for statewide office. But he had refused to confirm his candidacy until Friday's deadline.
In an interview with The Associated Press at his new campaign office downtown, Newsom — once critical of the lieutenant governor's job — said he believes the office can be used to advocate for higher education, the environment and economic development.
At this time last year, Newsom was canvassing the state in a bid to become the next California governor. But he dropped out in October after trailing seven-to-one in fundraising to then unannounced-candidate Jerry Brown. The 71-year-old Brown, the state's attorney general, formally entered the gubernatorial race earlier this month.
"I can now focus on the issues I'm quite familiar with having spent a year out on the campaign trail," Newsom said. "The issues are familiar, the passion is still there from that race and a lot of work went into that campaign, and I think that is reflected in a lot of the support we received as we announce today."
The office of lieutenant governor is seen by some as a springboard to a higher office for the ambitious 42-year-old mayor best known for his approval of same-sex marriages at San Francisco's City Hall in 2004.
"The lieutenant governor's job is a stepping stone for running for governor — pure and simple," University of California, Berkeley political scientist Bruce Cain said in an e-mail.
Cain said it may be the best political option for Newsom at the moment given the popularity of the Democrats currently holding other seats Newsom may covet in Congress.
"What's an ambitious guy to do? Find someplace to park himself while he waits for these other offices to open up," Cain said.
Newsom, a popular mayor elected overwhelmingly for a second term in 2007, was not able to achieve that kind of statewide recognition during his campaign for governor. Often unable to shed his San Francisco liberal label, Newsom failed to gain traction in some of the state's more conservative areas.
In the Democratic primary on June 8, Newsom will be competing against Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn for the Democratic nomination. After Newsom's announcement, state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Kern County, dropped out of the race and offered his "full support" to Newsom's campaign.
Hahn's campaign wasted no time Friday reacting to Newsom's candidacy.
"California voters can elect someone who knows and wants the job of lieutenant governor ... or someone who doesn't know what the job does, waited for the last day to file and views this as a consolation prize for ending his badly run gubernatorial campaign," said Hahn's campaign manger, Michael Trujillo.
Also, Garry South, who served as a senior advisor on Newsom's gubernatorial campaign team who now serves as Hahn's chief strategist, released a statement previously critical of the mayor's decision to run for an office he once criticized.
"In every one of several conversations we had about the job while he was running for governor, the mayor expressed nothing but disinterest in and disdain for the office of lieutenant governor," South wrote.
Newsom said Friday he was "more convinced than ever that the broad, informal portfolio of the office allows our lieutenant governor the freedom and platform to engage on any issue."
"I'm running for lieutenant governor, I'm not running against (Hahn). I'll sit there and am happy to compete on ideas and on record and our capacity to move this state forward," he said.
The Democratic primary winner likely will face Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, who is awaiting confirmation to become interim lieutenant governor after being nominated by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger earlier this year.
The post, which is next in line of succession to become governor in the event of death, resignation or removal, was vacated by John Garamendi who won a congressional seat last year.
