The San Diego mayoral campaign of Gretchen Newsom ended Friday when she announced that she was withdrawing from the 2016 race against incumbent Kevin Faulconer.
"My husband and I have recently decided to divorce on an amicable basis and, therefore, I need to focus on our son," Newsom said. "I appreciate everyone's respect of our privacy."
Her decision leaves Faulconer possibly facing three little-known candidates in the June 7 primary election — Kenneth Gardner, Sina Moghadamzadhe and Gregory Morales.
Newsom rose to local prominence when she became active in the Ocean Beach Town Council, on which she currently serves as president, and made a bid for City Council. She later became the political director of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in San Diego.
She announced her candidacy at the San Diego County Democratic convention in October, ending a months-long search by local Democrats for a viable opponent against Faulconer.
