San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s recent announcement that he would leave the California gubernatorial race early came weeks after a poll showed he was faring well only seven months prior to the primary election.
According to the Field poll released in early October and published in the Los Angeles Times, Newsom had a 9 percent advantage with voters under 39 over the unofficial Democratic candidate, state Attorney General Jerry Brown. The poll also showed he was behind by 9 percent with women in comparison to 33 percent among men.
Newsom, 42 – whose message of being an agent of change resonated most with voters aged 18-39 – withdrew his bid for governor Friday stating he wanted to spend more time with his new family and focus on his mayoral responsibilities.
Following the San Francisco mayor’s withdrawal, many are pondering whether his constituents will be absorbed along party lines or go elsewhere.
Last month Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 30 into law, lowering the voter registration age to 17. While the number of actual votes this will translate into is unknown, voter turnout for those under 30 increased 11 percentage points in the 2008 presidential elections from 2000.
