Gavin Newsom, the governor of California who is currently in his second term, is one of Biden’s possible successors after his resignation from the Democratic candidacy on July 21.
Newsom has been one of the most eligible replacements for Joe Biden. This can, however, only be possible if the President decides to step down from the race, an almost impossible wish as, so far as we know at the moment, Biden has no intentions of dropping out of the race.
Who is Gavin Newsom?
Gavin Newsom is a 56-year-old American politician and businessman who has been serving as the 40th governor of California since 2019. He is a member of the Democratic Party who became the 49th lieutenant governor of California from 2011 to 2019. He was also the 42nd mayor of San Francisco.
After being elected as San Francisco’s mayor in 2004, he authorized city officials to issue a same-marriage license, in violation of state law. This gained him the national attention, although the marriages he authorized were annulled by the Supreme Court of California in August 2004. His actions meant Newsom is widely supported in the LGBTQ+ community.
Can Newsom replace Biden?
The 56-year-old Newsom is a staunch Democrat who has strongly defended President Biden’s campaign, standing up for Biden after his poor performance in the debate.
Despite his show of support for Biden, many suspect he is running a shadow campaign. According to the Republicans, “He wants to be known so he can have an advantage of running a presidential election in the future or even sooner”.
Gavin Newsom has however pushed back against calls from Democrats for Biden to step down. In an interview with MSNBC, he said; ” I think it’s unnecessary,” ” We have to have the back of this president. You don’t turn your back because of one performance. What party does that?”
Becoming Biden’s successor might not be all rosy for Mr. Newsom as California has faced serious crises over the past decade such as; homelessness, high taxes, and escalating housing costs. In any future presidential run, the critics would be quick to seize on what are widely seen as policy failures he is at least partly responsible for.
