Only a Sex Change Would Have Won Newsom This Endorsement

Gavin's pretty enough. And they like him. But not in that way.

​We reported last week on how the San Francisco Women's Political Committee was faced with a big dilemma. Would its lieutenant governor endorsement favor local boy Mayor Gavin Newsom -- whom it had always supported before -- or opponent Janice Hahn -- whom no one up here had ever heard of prior to this race ... but she's a woman, you know.

Well, with 62 percent of the vote, Janice Hahn won the day. It appears the SFWPC's nomination process can be summarized in three words: Chicks before dicks.

That a women's group endorsed a woman for office is not a surprise. What is a surprise, however, is that Newsom had done everything the SFWPC could have asked of him -- and more -- and was still tossed aside. Heidi Sieck, the organization's president, noted that Newsom has always won their endorsements in the past -- and for good reason. He has consistently elevated women to leadership positions. He's worked hand-in-hand with the SFWPC on anti-trafficking measures. When asked, point-blank, what more Newsom could possibly have done to garner their endorsement other than be a woman, Sieck said "I think that's probably it."
 
She noted that Newsom, who even showed up to stump for the group's votes, noted in his speech "Hey, I'm not a woman." We'd noticed. So did they.

Sieck added that the "No. 1 value of the organization is to elevate women to higher office" -- if you consider lieutenant governor higher office.

God knows we're not feeling sorry for Gavin Newsom's hardship of being a wealthy, white man. We're sure he'll get over it. But it sure does seem more than a bit impersonal of the SFWPC to repeatedly endorse a candidate who admittedly did everything they asked of him, and then toss him aside in favor of a woman -- any woman.

Here's one case where it actually would have helped if Newsom wasn't man enough for the job.