Gavin Newsom is the Governor of California. He assumed office on January 7, 2019. His current term ends on January 4, 2027. Newsom was born in San Francisco, California. He received a bachelor's in political science from Santa Clara University in 1989. While in school, he received a partial scholarship to play baseball before retiring due to injuries. Newsom opened a wine shop in 1992 that eventually grew into the Plumpjack Group, which includes wineries, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, and retail stores. Newsom's interest in Plumpjack Group was placed in a blind trust after he was elected governor. Newsom was elected governor in 2018, succeeding the term-limited Jerry Brown. Newsom defeated John Cox 62%-38%. In 2022, he was re-elected with 59% of the vote over Brian Dahle. Newsom was the subject of a September 2021 recall election. Recall supporters said Newsom mishandled the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic, did not do enough to address the state's homelessness rate, and supported sanctuary city policies and water rationing. Newsom called the effort a "Republican recall — backed by the RNC, anti-mask and anti-vax extremists, and pro-Trump forces who want to overturn the last election and have opposed much of what we have done to fight the pandemic." Newsom won the recall election with 59% of the vote.
