Old photos of the California governor (and navy-suit enthusiast) are being widely shared as bruised Democrats seek a savior.

By Jacob Gallagher

Jacob Gallagher covers men’s fashion, political style and more.

Nov. 14, 2024

In the past week, a particular photo has been recirculating in certain corners of the internet. It features Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, leisurely reading Toni Morrison’s “Beloved.”

In the carefully staged picture, Mr. Newsom’s attention is fixed on the book (oh, he’s reading, folks), his lips are pursed, his unblemished white shirt is tucked into his blue pants with the tidiness of an Army cot. His hair? Do you even have to ask? Naturally, it’s slicked back like golden-era Pat Riley.

The shot was uploaded to Mr. Newsom’s Twitter account two years ago, with the caption “Reading some banned books to figure out what these states are so afraid of.” To Mr. Newsom, who has repeatedly sparred with Republican figures, even reading can be an antagonistic, publicity-seeking act.

In the days since Donald J. Trump won the presidency, as the Democratic Party busies itself with soul-searching, Mr. Newsom is again being propped up by some people on social media as a potential democratic savior.

On Amazon, “Gavin Newsom 2028” shirts are being sold for $13. There is also a sense, among certain Democratic voters, that the governor, a white man who looks like “Generic President #1” from a Netflix political drama, might appeal to demographic groups that the party is losing hold of, including suburban women.

“He’s relatively young, he’s attractive, he’s smart,” said Jim Newton, a lecturer in communication studies and public policy at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Mr. Newsom’s second term as governor is also up in 2026 and he’s term limited from running again. It would, perhaps, be natural for him to aspire for higher office as a next step. While Mr. Newsom endorsed both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in their presidential bids, he has not publicly addressed his own future plans beyond this election.

“The only thing really left for him to do would be something on the national stage,” said Christian Grose, a professor of political science and public policy at the University of Southern California. Several California politicians have tried. Kamala Harris just made a run at the presidency and failed. Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan got there decades ago.

That Mr. Newsom is being looked at for a future presidential run — before Mr. Trump has even re-entered the White House — is a credit to his well-crafted image as a bulldog in a technocrat’s slim suit.

“He’s got sort of Silicon Valley gloss to him,” said Mr. Newton.

Mr. Newsom wears clone-like notch-lapel dark suits that are slightly pinched at the waist, emphasizing that at 57, he is still in very good shape. His white button-ups are trim, but not so constricting that they pull at the placket. He often wears shirts open-collared, as former President Barack Obama did on the campaign trail. Overall, he dresses more like a venture capitalist or Hollywood talent agent than a creature of Washington.

And then there’s the hair. In modern American politics, Mr. Newsom is rivaled only by Mr. Trump in terms of having such a signature hairdo.

A photo from 1992 shows a 25-year-old Mr. Newsom, then a burgeoning wine entrepreneur, with his hair slicked back like a Wall Street wannabe or a defense lawyer. There is as much salt as there is pepper in his hair these days, but Mr. Newsom has never stopped slicking it back. He told New York magazine in 2011 that his hair gel of choice was L’Oréal Clean Gel, purchased for $3.99 at Walgreen’s. “The cheapest stuff out there,” he said.

Whatever the cost, the gelled hair is the sculptural centerpiece of the Newsom brand.

Last year, during an appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” the host brought up an impression of the governor that Mr. Meyers’s brother Josh had done. Mr. Newsom’s first comment was that the “hair is not exactly right.” (A polished image could, of course, also cut the other way to voters, making Mr. Newsom look slick or preening.)

The Newsom brand is something the governor has been burnishing for decades. In 2004, when he was the mayor of San Francisco, Mr. Newsom and his then-wife, Kimberly Guilfoyle, appeared in a Harper’s Bazaar spread titled “The New Kennedys.” In it, Mr. Newsom, wears a $995 Hugo Boss tuxedo and poses at a pool table with Ms. Guilfoyle.

In one shot, that still fizzles up on social media decades later, the couple lie on a rug, flanked by some very-Versailles gold-trimmed chairs. The shoot is more Gilded Age than anything most Democrats would volunteer for today. (The pair divorced two years later and Ms. Guilfoyle got engaged to Donald Trump Jr. in 2020. American politics can be as small and cliquish as high school.)

Mr. Newsom’s appetite for media attention hasn’t dulled. This year, he launched “Politickin’” an odd-throuple podcast co-hosted with the sports agent Doug Hendrickson and the retired N.F.L. star Marshawn Lynch. In episodes of the show, Mr. Newsom is at his most “Yellowstone” rugged in a Westernish button up. The podcast hasn’t been progressivism’s great answer to Joe Rogan’s podcasting behemoth: some episodes have under 2,000 views on YouTube.

Mr. Newsom has shown more skill in the political arena, where he’s packaged himself as a progressive champion. He was early in supporting gay marriage and a nationwide background checks for guns. He survived a 2021 recall vote initiated by opponents over his administration’s restrictive Covid policies and the state’s intractable homelessness issue.

“He’s a charismatic person who has done well in a very difficult state,” said Mr. Grose.

Mr. Newsom has also made a habit of going where many Democratic politicians wouldn’t dare: Fox News. He’s been interviewed by Sean Hannity and appeared on the network during the Democratic National Convention. The interviews can tip into testy, but Mr. Newsom smirks and spars back. On the red-leaning network, Mr. Newsom flies the Democratic colors: Blue suit, blue tie dimpled like a valet knotted it.

Last year, he debated Ron DeSantis on that network, landing rhetorical jabs like “You’re nothing but a bully.” The appearances have burnished his reputation as someone who saunters into the conservative lion’s den and comes out with his slicked hair unruffled. Will that matter to voters in four years? Time will tell.

Jacob Gallagher is a Times reporter covering fashion and style. More about Jacob Gallagher

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