viewed as a potential white house contender since at least 2004 when he defied federal law to issue marriage licenses to lgbt couples as mayor of san francisco his victory maintained those prospects though he will still have to navigate around the ambitions of harris who came up through san francisco politics alongside newsomhe came to the contest with advantages californias electorate is less republican less white and younger than it was in 2003 when voters booted the democratic davis newsom was allowed to raise unlimited funds dwarfing his competitors while flooding tv screens with advertising public worker unions and business and tech executives poured millions into his campaign