George Christopher

As Gavin Newsom mulls a bid for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2010, he might want to consider the track record of his predecessors: no Mayor of San Francisco has been elected Governor since James Rolph won in 1930. The last three Mayors-turned-gubernatorial candidate have lost: Dianne Feinstein lost her bid for Governor in 1990 to Pete Wilson; Joseph Alioto was defeated by Jerry Brown in the 1974 Democratic primary; George Christopher lost the 1966 GOP primary to Ronald Reagan. Alioto was the only sitting Mayor to run for Governor, although Christopher was the incumbent when he lost a bid for Lieutenant Governor in 1962, running on a ticket with unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate Richard Nixon.

As Gavin Newsom mulls a bid for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2010, he might want to consider the track record of his predecessors: no Mayor of San Francisco has been elected Governor since James Rolph won in 1930. The last three Mayors-turned-gubernatorial candidate have lost: Dianne Feinstein lost her bid for Governor in 1990 to Pete Wilson; Joseph Alioto was defeated by Jerry Brown in the 1974 Democratic primary; George Christopher lost the 1966 GOP primary to Ronald Reagan. Alioto was the only sitting Mayor to run for Governor, although Christopher was the incumbent when he lost a bid for Lieutenant Governor in 1962, running on a ticket with unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate Richard Nixon.