Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest campaign ask isn’t about votes — it’s about book sales.
The politician-turned-author has pleaded with supporters of his Campaign for Democracy PAC to buy up copies of his “very personal” memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry” — so he can add “New York Times bestseller” to his resume.
“See this book?” Newsom writes in a Feb. 12 email, attaching a photo of himself with a copy of his memoir launching Feb. 24.
“It comes out in less than two weeks, and I’d really like you to read it.”
The California governor is on the publicity trail for his book, billed as ”an intimate and poignant account of identity, belonging, and the defining moments that inspired a life in politics,” ahead of an expected 2028 presidential bid.
The much-hyped opus includes “personal interactions with President Trump: The invisible plane (unbelievable), the presidential toilet (yes), the state secrets … or what should have been state secrets,” according to Newsom’s email.
However, critics have mocked the forthcoming book as a sob story intended to recast the career politician and son of prominent attorney Bill Newsom as an everyman.
“The book covers some very personal ground, but also has some of the political stories I’m sure you’ll enjoy,” Newsom continues in the email.
Newsom has previously used his Campaign for Democracy outfit, formed in 2023 to help raise Newsom’s national profile, to unload free copies of his book in exchange for donations “of any amount.”
He then appeals to fans to help him make the New York Times bestseller list, by knocking off “The Invisible War,” a book by author Peter Schweizer which claims that foreign governments have “weaponized” immigration to undermine US sovereignty.
“And as an added bonus, the #1 NYT best-seller right now is a far-right book about the Great Replacement Theory. So… let’s replace that,” Newsom writes.
Newsom’s book delves into his political rise, colorful love life and childhood in San Francisco as the child of divorced parents Tessa Menzies and Bill Newsom, a close friend of billionaire Gordon Getty.
He writes that his mother struggled financially and that he was bullied over dyslexia, leading him to wear suits to school in wealthy Marin County.