Newsom Not Interested in Boxer's Senate Seat

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today he will not run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Barbara Boxer.

Newsom’s name quickly surfaced as a possible candidate when Boxer, D- Calif., announced last week she would step down at the end of her term.

“While I am humbled by the widespread encouragement of so many and hold in the highest esteem those who serve us in federal office, I know that my head and my heart, my young family’s future and our unfinished work all remain firmly in the state of California -- not Washington, D.C.,” Newsom wrote in a message on his Facebook page. “Therefore I will not seek election to the U.S. Senate in 2016.

“In the months to come, I look forward to doing whatever I can to help elect California’s next great Democratic Senator -- one worth of succeeding Barbara Boxer and serving this remarkable state of dreamers and doers in the United States Senate.”

Newsom did not discuss his future political plans, although he will likely try to succeed Jerry Brown in the governor’s office.

Attorney General Kamala Harris and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have also been mentioned as possible candidates for Boxer’s seat, although neither has commented on the possibility.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK IN THE COMMENTS: Who do you think should fill Barbara Boxer’s Senate seat?

• City News Service
• Photo Credit: Patch Archive