Why Gavin Newsom Can Count on Bill Clinton

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom can thank a number of factors for easily securing the endorsement of popular former President Bill Clinton.

Clinton and his former Vice President Al Gore swooped into San Francisco in 2003 to help Newsom defeat mayoral challenger Matt Gonzalez in a close run-off election.

And in the previous presidential campaign, Newsom supported Hillary Clinton against primary rivals like the ultimately victorious President Barack Obama.

And once Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was out of the gubernatorial picture, the endorsement was arranged by power fundraiser Yashar Hedayat, according to sources cited by Calbuzz.

It probably helped that Clinton and Attorney General Jerry Brown, Newsom's likely gubernatorial primary opponent, are not exactly friends.

Brown ran against Clinton for the presidential nomination in 1992, but even before then accused him of being a corporate tool.

And that lack of feeling continues, as it was pointed out by the Brown campaign that Clinton's endorsement wasn't enough to secure a nomination for Virginia gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe.

Jackson West figures if Newsom had secured an Obama endorsement, that might mean something.