Gavin Newsom, born in San Francisco, California, is the 40th Governor of California, serving since 2019. A Democrat, he was Lieutenant Governor (2011–2019) and San Francisco’s youngest mayor in a century (2004–2011), gaining national attention for issuing same-sex marriage licenses in 2004. Diagnosed with dyslexia at age five, Newsom graduated from Santa Clara University in 1989 with a BS in Political Science.

He founded PlumpJack Group in 1992, growing it into a multimillion-dollar enterprise with wineries, restaurants, and hotels. Newsom survived a 2021 recall election and was reelected in 2022 with 59% of the vote.
He authored Citizenville (2013), advocating digital governance, and has hosted the podcast This is Gavin Newsom since 2025. Newsom champions progressive policies.