California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) “has amassed a war chest of more than $16 million for his 2018 bid for governor, far outpacing his rivals and cementing his position as the clear front-runner in a race that’s just starting to liven up,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Jerry Brown Eyes the Exit
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) told the New York Times he was ready to leave political life, “but demurred when asked if he was confident he was leaving California in good hands.”
Said Brown: “Well, that’s a loaded question. What if I say I am not confident? That’s one damn headline. So I have to say I’m confident.”
Garcetti Won’t Rule Out Bid for Senate or Governor
“Eric Garcetti started the week toying with a 2020 presidential run on a trip to New Hampshire, but the Los Angeles mayor is still keeping his options open for a 2018 run closer to home,” Politico reports.
“That includes next year’s open governor’s race, and possibly a Senate race, should Sen. Dianne Feinstein decide not to seek a fifth term.”
Steyer Expands Focus to Take on Trump
Tom Steyer “will expand the focus of his environmental political advocacy group, NextGen Climate Action, to fund initiatives and candidates with an eye to issues well beyond the realm of climate change,” BuzzFeed reports.
“The 59-year-old Steyer, a San Francisco hedge fund manager and possible contender for next year’s California governor’s race, said he made the decision to broaden his reach in response to Trump and to a legislative agenda he described as ‘deplorable’ and ‘a barrage against the basic fabric of American society.'”
Thiel Mulls Run for California Governor
“Peter Thiel, the Silicon Valley billionaire and outspoken Donald Trump supporter, is considering a 2018 bid for California governor, according to three Republicans familiar with his thinking,” Politico reports.
“Adding fuel to the speculation: Thiel raised eyebrows this week when he granted a rare interview to the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd. In the interview, he outlined his political worldview and explained his support for Trump.(At one point, Thiel said, perhaps jokingly, that he’d be ‘fine’ with California seceding.”
Liberal Mega Donors Look to Run for Governor
“In three major states with a governor’s mansion up for grabs in 2018, a big-name, politically active billionaire or multimillionaire is taking steps toward a run — donors looking to take matters into their own hands after 2016’s gutting losses,” Politico reports.
“In Florida, it’s John Morgan, a wealthy attorney who has long been one of the Democratic Party’s biggest swing-state fundraisers. In Illinois, it’s J.B. Pritzker, the businessman and philanthropist with a history of pumping cash and Chicago political support toward Hillary Clinton. And in California, it’s Tom Steyer, the hedge fund manager-turned climate activist who used the 2014 and 2016 election cycles to become one of the left’s single biggest donors, to the tune of over $140 million. And more may be on the way.”
“It’s an unexpected development that stands to inject new life into the Democratic Party — but it also exposes the lack of clear pipeline for young, rising Democrats after a series of losses, at a time when they are down to just 18 governors across the country, from 29 just eight years ago.”
Villaraigosa Will Run for Governor
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) “began his 2018 bid for governor with a a new website, confirming his entrance into what is expected to be a competitive race,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“After a three-year hiatus from the political limelight, Villaraigosa joins a heady field of candidates that is expected to grow larger in the months ahead.”
Villaraigosa Laying Groundwork for Governor’s Race
Los Angeles Times: “Antonio Villaraigosa has kept out of the news in the six months since he opted to skip the race for U.S. Senate. But a reception at his Hollywood Hills home on Monday to raise money for Hillary Clinton was the latest of many signs the former Los Angeles mayor is preparing quietly to run for governor of California in 2018.”
Newsom Builds War Chest for 2018
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) “reports that he has already banked nearly $5.5 million for a possible run for governor that’s still more than three years away,” the AP reports.
Newsom Launches 2018 Campaign for California Governor
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced that he has opened a fundraising account to run for governor in 2018, the Los Angeles Times reports.
“Newsom has long wanted to be governor, and the move – more than three years before the election – is an early shot across the bow at other potential Democratic candidates. By forming a committee, Newsom can raise up to $28,200 per supporter for both the primary and general elections, meaning he can collect $56,400 per donor.”
Kashkari Ignored Advice to Stop Spending His Money
Failed California gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari (R) “ignored the advice of advisors who urged him to stop dipping into his waning personal fortune to finance a campaign they knew he could not win,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Said Kashkari strategist Aaron McLear: “We thought it was crazy, but that’s Neel.”
Newsom’s Power Play
Gavin Newsom’s decision not to run for U.S. Senate in California “capped a furious 72 hours of discussions among the would-be candidates and their advisers over whether to jump at the state’s first open Senate seat in two decades, or hold out for a shot at leading a state that is the world’s eighth-largest economy,” Politico reports.
In announcing his plans, Newsom got out ahead of Kamala Harris “who has told friends that she is also interested in the job of governor. Instead, on Tuesday, she will launch a campaign for Boxer’s seat, knowing that if she hesitated, it would appear that she was reluctant to choose the Senate over the governorship. In doing so, she will circumvent a race against Newsom; it has long been assumed that they would avoid a titanic clash that would leave one of them badly wounded, their hopes for higher office potentially derailed.”
Retouched Schwarzenegger Portrait Scrubs Out Wife
Three months after California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) “unveiled his official Capitol portrait – and its badly scrubbed-out image of his estranged wife – a less splotchy, retouched version of the painting was hung Friday with little fanfare,” the Sacramento Bee reports.
“Less noticeable on the final installment is the area where an image of Maria Shriver’s face on a lapel pin was deleted.”
A Non-Campaign Campaign
“It might have been the neatest political trick of this election season — Gov. Jerry Brown’s ‘non-campaign’ for a historic fourth term that wasn’t really a non-campaign at all, yet managed to hide all the trappings of a traditional political run,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
“From Brown’s TV spots for a pair of Mom-and-apple-pie ballot measures to his lone, low-key debate with Republican opponent Neel Kashkari, the plan by a team of veteran San Francisco strategists was to push the governor as ‘the reasonable father figure’ rising above the divisive politics that engulfed the rest of the nation.”
Brown Keeps Raising Money After Landslide Victory
“Less than two weeks after winning a fourth term,” California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) “plans to collect more money for his reelection committee Monday at a Sacramento reception with lobbyists and their clients,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“The event is unusual. Typically, candidates who continue to raise money after being elected do so to retire campaign debt. But Brown, who coasted to reelection, appears to have none to repay. As of Oct. 18, the governor still had nearly $21 million in his reelection account, according to the committee’s most recent finance statement.”