Families can be messy, and that element becomes magnified by 20 when the business is politics. California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to run for president. He’s making overtures right now. Whether he takes the plunge to primary a sitting president in 2024 will be an ongoing question, and even if he initially says no to avoid negative press for Joe Biden—there’s a lot of time between now and the next election. Are the Newsoms and the Biden families close? It’s hard to say when the latter can’t remember whether we have a Congress or a parliament—the point is when has friendship ever trumped political ambition.
Yet, one of the early tests regarding a national run is whether your family will vote for you. Mr. Newsom's wife, Jennifer must be solidly behind this effort because an unhappy spouse can derail a presidential run. It’s an open secret that Mitch Daniels’ wife was unenthusiastic about her husband making a bid for the White House, which explains the former Indiana governor’s decision not to enter the 2012 race. In Gavin’s case, it seems his in-laws are not high on his presidential aspirations, donating to a Super PAC that supports Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis (via Fox News):
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been a vocal critic of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in recent weeks, but Newsom's in-laws seem to approve of the popular Republican.
According to contribution records on the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC website, the Siebel Family Revocable Trust made a $5,000 contribution on April 6, 2022.
That trust is run by Kenneth F. Siebel Jr. and Judith A. Siebel, the parents of Newsom's wife, Jennifer Siebel, records obtained by Fox News Digital show.
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Both Newsom and DeSantis are among the top names being floated as potential 2024 contenders in their respective parties, particularly if President Biden and former President Trump choose to sit out in the next presidential cycle.
Newsom drew national attention in July for airing an ad in Florida, telling residents that "freedom is under attack" in the Sunshine State and urging them to move to California "where we still believe in freedom."
DeSantis is Newsom’s arch-rival, albeit by his own choice. The Sunshine State is thriving, with a booming economy and billions in surplus funds. The state was among the few to push back on the lockdown syndrome that infected public policy during the COVID pandemic. Protocols that we know proved ineffective in curbing the spread of the virus. People want to come to Florida, while everyone wants to leave the high crime, high tax, and overall dumpster of a state in California. It’s a point that Newsom gets visibly angry over, which led to this ad that comically tried to paint the Golden State as some oasis for freedom and high standards of living. People defecate all over the place in San Francisco, overrun by the homeless. There are also spent drug needles all over the streets. Newsom wants a war with DeSantis’ Florida, and his in-laws just picked DeSantis.