Students for Gavin Newsom: What's Next?

On October 30, Gavin Newsom ended his campaign for Governor of California and the left thousands of students across the Golden State wondering what's next? Will the large student base that he successfully mobilized fizzle out or take on a new cause?

From the very beginning, the Newsom campaign recognized the importance of turning out the youth vote in California. They worked closely with student organizers to create what arguably became the largest grassroots student movement ever marshalled by a Gubernatorial campaign. By the time the campaign ended, Students for Gavin Newsom (SFGN) had active chapters at 36 colleges and 35 high schools across the state. The SFGN leaders were in constant contact with the Newsom campaign and coordinated dozens of events for the mayor on college campuses. For many students, SFGN was their first involvement in the political process. Now this powerful student engine has ground to a halt.

Last fall, Students for Barack Obama faced a similar situation. After helping win the historic Presidential campaign in November, SFBO was left without a clearly defined mission. At the time, I served as State Field Coordinator for California Students for Barack Obama. In lieu of any direction from the national SFBO team we disbanded and left the decision of what to do with our chapters up to the chapters themselves. Many of them merged with existing College Dems clubs on their campuses, some eventually went on to form SFGN chapters, and many others disbanded completely. In retrospect, I wish we had had some way of integrating our SFBO chapters with OFA to continue advocacy for Obama's agenda. OFA eventually did reach out to us in the spring, but by that point all of our chapters had moved on.

The main difference between what SFBO faced last year and what SFGN faces now is the perception that the "job is done." After electing Obama, many students felt they had accomplished their goal. The same can't be said for Newsom's decision to drop out. Many students joined SFGN because of the Newsom campaign's message of reforming California, and that goal now seems further from being attained than ever. It's precisely for this reason that it is so important that SFGN continue is some form. The ideas that Newsom advocated for (investing in higher education, changing the state constitution, repealing the 2/3rds budget rule, creating green jobs, and expanding health care) are all still major challenges facing California. Any and all of these issues are worth fighting for. I hope the students who were engaged by this campaign realize the potential they have and continue the movement to change California.