San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom became an official candidate for California governor Tuesday, staking his claim as a Web-savvy, new-generation candidate by announcing his decision on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
And the 41-year-old mayor said his Web-roots launch signals how he intends to govern.
"This is not just our campaign. This is our governing philosophy," Newsom said in an interview soon after his announcement. "To be effective, not just in campaigning but in governing, you need people. You can't do it alone. The social media is that tool."
In his YouTube video, Newsom used multiple images of San Francisco and testimonies in multiple languages to sell himself as an innovative mayor who brought "green jobs, better schools and new industries that pay a living wage" to San Francisco.
"There is no stronger way for me to say it myself," Newsom said in the video. "I am a candidate for governor of California because I know we can do better."
In a state Field Poll earlier this year, Newsom ranked third among Democratic voters behind Attorney General and former Gov. Jerry Brown and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who have yet to formally declare their candidacies. Newsom says he will drop out of the race if his mentor, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, decides to run.
Read more at SacBee.com