I know, for a Syracuse resident, I write a lot about California, only b/c I grew up there all my life and have only lived in New York state just recently. Anyways I don't know a whole lot about Gavin Newsom, but reading this SF Chronicle article gave me a lot more perspective on him.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/01/23/CMGD9AHK721.DTLWhether you like him or not, he's a rising star in the Democratic Party and maybe the best chance that California Democrats have to beat Arnold.
He's no Barbara Boxer, but so far he's behaved a hell of a lot better than most DINOs in office already, Diane Feinstein got pissed by his giving marriage lisences to gay couples. I find him a little too slick to hand over my support for him just yet, but I'm interested in seeing what Gavin Newsom will do next. He may be too political for a lot of you guys, but he's walked the picket lines with striking workers, publically stood up for gay rights, and despite the public perception of a privledged upbringing, he actually comes from a humble background, and identifies a lot with working class folks.
And no I do not blame him for Kerry losing. Many people who do not support gay marriage would have voted Bush anyways, and I think that the GOP get the vote out effort was more massive organization than rightwing voters going to the polls just because of what they heard about San Francisco.