Could Gavin Newsom's skeletons in the closet derail his dream of occupying the Oval Office? The California governor has confirmed his intent to vie for the Democratic Party nomination in 2028, but his checkered history might just be the Achilles’ heel conservatives have been waiting to exploit, as the Daily Mail reports.
As Newsom steps into the national spotlight, his past -- from romantic entanglements to public missteps during a stringent lockdown—casts a long shadow over his White House ambitions.
Back in the 1990s, when Newsom dated kindergarten teacher Kelley Phleger for five years before she eventually tied the knot with actor Don Johnson. That chapter closed, but Newsom’s personal life continued to make headlines with his 2001 marriage to Kimberly Guilfoyle, which ended in divorce by 2006 while he served as San Francisco’s mayor.
Just months after his divorce, Newsom was spotted on the red carpet in 2006 with 19-year-old aspiring model Brittanie Mountz, though he firmly denied any romantic involvement. He called her a “friend,” but the optics were less than ideal for a rising political star. The incident lingered, with his now-wife Jennifer Newsom often mistaken for Mountz in those early days of their relationship.
Jennifer, who had previously dated George Clooney, recalled the confusion with a touch of humor, saying, “The whole first month we were dating, everyone thought I was her and were saying, ‘We need to card you.’”
Fast forward to 2007, and Newsom’s personal life turned with the revelation of an affair with Ruby Rippey Gibney, his City Hall appointments secretary and the wife of his campaign adviser, Alex Tourk. The affair shattered a marriage, led to Gibney’s resignation, and left Newsom issuing public apologies for his “personal failures.” Even years later, with Gibney herself downplaying any #MeToo implications, the stain of betrayal remains a talking point for opponents.
That same year, Newsom publicly acknowledged struggles with alcohol, announcing plans to seek treatment, only to later clarify he never entered rehab but received counseling instead. He told the Sacramento Bee in 2018, “There’s no rehab. I just stopped.”
Newsom’s relationship with alcohol has been a rollercoaster -- first a “reset,” then a return to enjoying “a little wine,” as he described it. For a man aiming to lead the nation, such inconsistency might strike voters as less a journey of redemption and more a lack of discipline.
By 2008, Newsom had married Jennifer, with whom he now shares four children and 16 years of marriage. While this stability offers a counterpoint to earlier chaos, it’s unlikely to erase the memory of past indiscretions when Republican operatives are already gearing up to revisit every scandal.
Perhaps the most damning episode came in 2020, when Newsom was caught dining at the upscale French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley, flouting his own strict pandemic lockdown rules. Just days before advising Californians against indoor Thanksgiving gatherings, he enjoyed a $350 tasting menu with friends, including top California Medical Association officials, inside a venue despite claiming it was outdoors.
Newsom, who imposed some of the nation’s harshest pandemic restrictions, appeared to live by a “rules for thee, not for me” mantra. With social gatherings supposed to be limited to three households, this birthday bash for a political adviser looked like elite privilege at its finest. As scholar Jack Pitney aptly noted, “In the future when critics of lobbyists make their case, this dinner will be Exhibit A.”
Newsom’s apology -- “I made a bad mistake. I need to preach and practice, not just preach and not practice” -- rings hollow to many who struggled under his policies. If you’re asking citizens to sacrifice, shouldn’t a leader lead by example rather than sip wine with lobbyists behind closed doors?
Recent polls show Newsom leading potential Democratic Party contenders like Kamala Harris by significant margins, and some party members praise his opposition to certain federal policies and his social media bravado. Yet, there’s grumbling even among California voters that he’s too focused on building a national profile. That ambition, confirmed in a CBS interview where he admitted his 2028 aspirations, might come at a steep cost if his past overshadows his platform.
Republican strategists are salivating at the chance to paint Newsom as the poster child for progressive hypocrisy, with social media attacks already in the works. From romantic misadventures to the French Laundry debacle, there’s no shortage of material to question whether he’s the steady hand Democrats need.
For now, Newsom’s supporters will have to grapple with a history that’s anything but pristine, while conservatives watch with a mix of skepticism and opportunity. His bid for the White House in 2028 may hinge less on policy and more on whether voters can forgive -- or forget -- a past riddled with personal and public missteps.
