Did Gavin Newson’s Parents Raise Him with a Substantial Net Worth? Inside the Rumors of His Financial Upbringing
Did Gov. Newsom come from struggle or did his parents have high-profile jobs that produced substantial income?
Published Oct. 28 2025, 12:33 p.m. ET
In the world of politics one of the main things that candidates seek to do that is essential to their relationship with voters, is to appear relatable. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has often done this while recalling stories of his upbringing from a single mother.
However, recent questions have been raised regarding the actual financial status of his parents. Did Gov. Newsom come from struggle, or did his parents have high-profile jobs that produced substantial income? The truth is somewhere in between.
Did Gavin Newsom’s parents have substantial net worth?
Gov. Newsom’s father is the late William Newsom, who was a judge in the California Court of Appeals and the attorney for the billionaire Getty family trust. His mother, Tessa Newsom, worked multiple jobs throughout his life, such as a bookkeeper, waitress, and secretary.
However, despite his father’s notable and high-profile position with the Getty family and his established law career, he was not wealthy. According to a 2003 article from the San Francisco Chronicle, the elder Newsom’s “highest salary, after 17 years on the bench, was $75,000.”
The money that William did have, he spent on his 1968 Senate run, which led to Tessa taking on multiple jobs to support Gavin and his siblings.
“I made a foolish mistake of putting my own money in it and losing,” William said, per the outlet. “I had a huge deficit when it was over. I lost my law practice in the process. Things were unraveling. It took me quite a while to pull myself out financially. Tessa was working a number of jobs. Gavin had jobs after school.”
“I was around people of wealth, but I never had any money, nor did Gavin,” William added at the time.
As the Trump administration continues to face ongoing criticism, Gov. Newsom made a major announcement regarding his presidential plans.
On Sunday, Oct. 26, Gov. Newsom confirmed that following the 2026 midterm elections, he will make his decision whether to run for president in 2028, according to an interview with CBS News Sunday Morning.
Sharing that he is currently giving a future presidential bid “serious thought,” he also said, "Yeah, I'd be lying otherwise. I'd just be lying. And I'm not — I can't do that." However, he did add that “fate will determine that.” Newsom’s current gubernatorial term officially ends in January 2027.
His openness to share the possibility of running for president in 2028 differs from his thoughts on the matter as recently as this past July.
"I have no idea," Newsom previously told CBS News this summer about his presidential plans. "The idea that a guy who got 960 on his SAT, that still struggles to read scripts, that was always in the back of the classroom, the idea that you would even throw that out is, in and of itself, extraordinary.”
“Who the hell knows? I'm looking forward to who presents themselves in 2028 and who meets that moment. And that's the question for the American people," he said at the time.
Gavin is not the only notable politician to announce a possible presidential run, as former vice president Kamala Harris, who ran for president in 2024, told the BBC that a 2028 bid is a possibility.