SF Mayor Drops Out of Calif. Governor's Race

Bill's support for SF mayor viewed as Jerry Brown payback

(NEWSER) - Bill Clinton's support for Gavin Newsom in the race to succeed Arnold Schwarzenegger as California governor has put the spotlight on the San Francisco mayor's campaign, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Clinton's support has given Newsom a much-needed boost. But some analysts believe it has more to do with Clinton's enmity towards Newsom's rival Jerry Brown than any real fondness for the mayor. More»

Stumps for one-time nemesis Jerry Brown, rallies Dems

(NEWSER) - Bill Clinton gave dazed Democrats a swift kick last night, telling California voters to get out the vote, lest they commit "malpractice on your own future." Stumping for onetime nemesis and would-be governor Jerry Brown, the former president told a UCLA rally to give President Obama and Democrats time to finish the job: "It is not enough to have voted for a new president if you will not help him govern and stick behind the members of Congress who stood for him." More»

Despite one ruinous turn as governor, Jerry Brown is front-runner

(NEWSER) - California is a financial mess, hamstrung by some late-1970s leftovers: some ill-considered “low-impact liberalism” and a ballot measure that makes raising taxes nearly impossible. Both came during the governorship of Democrat Jerry Brown, he of the motto “Maybe by avoiding doing things you accomplish quite a lot”—and the leading candidate to succeed Arnold Schwarzenegger in next year’s election. More»

(NEWSER) - Sure, California's going through a little financial Armageddon, but that's not keeping candidates from lining up to replace Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is prevented by term limits from running in 2010. In the New York Times magazine, Mark Leibovitch takes a look at the eclectic field, which includes Jerry Brown ("yes, that Jerry Brown"), San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom ("political thrill-seeker"), and former eBay chief Meg Whitman (who promises to provide "adult supervision" for once). More»

State's progressive approach, and status as beacon for rest of US, falls prey to politics

(NEWSER) - California may have once been the land of literal and figurative gold, but recent policies have placed it in an unenviable position, Joel Kotkin writes for the American. The state people once flocked to is now hemorrhaging citizens, he writes, and a myopic focus on environmental issues, and the death of a pro-business, pro-infrastructure tradition are to blame. More»