Gavin Newsom’s memoir will be out in May. Does writing it hint at 2028 presidential bid?
Gov. Gavin Newsom will publish a memoir next spring, fueling further speculation that the California Democrat is preparing to run for higher office after he leaves Sacramento in 2026.
Penguin Random House will publish “Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery” on May 13, 2025, according to a pre-order listing. Politico first reported the publication date Tuesday.
Presidential candidates often publish memoirs to introduce themselves to a national audience before launching their campaigns. While Newsom, 57, has not confirmed his plans, he has taken a series of steps to burnish his image after Vice President Kamala Harris lost earlier this month to former President Donald Trump. He cannot run again for governor after his current term ends in November 2026.
Nathan Click, a Newsom campaign consultant, referred a request for comment to a Los Angeles Times story from May that first announced the governor was writing a memoir.
Most recently, Newsom called for a special legislative session that begins Monday to bolster state resources and “protect California values” in preparation for potential protracted litigation against Trump. The state sued Trump over 120 times during his first term.
Newsom has positioned himself as a Democratic foil, racking up millions of dollars in political campaign dollars, and appearing on national TV to attack the former president.
He ardently defended President Joe Biden even as other Democrats called for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race after a disastrous debate performance in June that called Biden’s mental acuity into question.
Biden withdrew in July, after which Newsom endorsed Harris.
Newsom’s memoir set for publication in May will trace his familial history from his ancestral roots in southwestern Ireland, to his childhood in San Francisco and his first foray into politics as a city supervisor, then mayor, and later lieutenant governor and governor.
Newsom has previously written two books. He published a children’s book, “Ben and Emma’s Big Hit,” based on his struggles with dyslexia, in 2021.
He published the other, “Citizenville,” in 2013, as a guide for people to use technology to “dissolve political gridlock” and get involved in local politics.
This story was originally published November 30, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
