By Gina Cuclis
                                                Democratic San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom today used the old political cover "family" excuse when announcing his withdrawal from the California Governor's race.

In a statement on Newsom's web site, which was also e-mailed to supporters, Newsom said: "With a young family and responsibilities at city hall, I have found it impossible to commit the time required to complete this effort the way it needs to — and should be — done."

The Real Story

Rumors about Newsom's future in the Governor's race had been circulating among Democratic activists for weeks. It was well-known his fundraising was going poorly, and he had been trailing in the polls against Attorney General Jerry Brown. A Field Poll conducted earlier this month showed Newsom polling 27 percent among Democratic voters to Brown's 47 percent. And Brown hasn't officially announced his candidacy yet.

Brown has also been way out front of Newsom in fundraising. At the end of the last campaign reporting period, June 30, Newsom had only $1.2 million in the bank to Brown's $7.4 million. Since then, Brown has raised another $1.3 million to Newsom's $709,000.

The 42-year-old mayor had stronger appeal with younger voters. The Field Poll showed Newsom with a 9 percentage point lead over Brown with Democratic voters age 18 to 39. Unfortunately, they are less likely to turn out on election day.

Politicians don't like to admit they are dropping out of a race because of lack of support. However, Newsom isn't fooling anybody about the real reasons he is ending his quest for Governor.