Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced Monday he is launching a gubernatorial exploratory committee, the first step in a potential run for California governor next year.
Faulconer, who left San Diego City Hall last month after two terms as mayor, made the announcement on Twitter Monday morning and included a link to his website.
"No better way to ring in the New Year than taking the first step in turning around California," he said in the tweet.
On Saturday, the Republican former mayor endorsed a statewide effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom.
RELATED: Ex-San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer Joins Effort To Recall Gov. Gavin Newsom
"It's a new year. We need a new governor. Jobs are leaving, homelessness is skyrocketing, and the state can't even issue unemployment checks to people struggling right now to get by. California is better than this. Join me in signing the recall petition," Faulconer said in a tweet that linked to the recall petition website.
As of Tuesday, the effort to recall Newsom has received 911,000 signatures, according to organizers.
The number of valid signatures from California registered voters needed to qualify for the ballot is 1,495,709 by mid-March.
RELATED: Looking Back At San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s Wins And Losses
UCSD political science professor Thad Kousser said the recall campaign offers Faulconer a familiar, if still unlikely, pathway to victory: Faulconer became mayor in 2014 after a scandal ousted his predecessor and he won in a special election with low voter turnout.
"If turnout is lower in a recall that's held in an odd year, in an odd month, then you might have a more Republican-slanted electorate, or at least one where it wouldn't be as blue as most electorates are in California," Kousser said.
But Faulconer still faces a challenge navigating his relationship with Donald Trump. The president's brand is toxic in California, and Faulconer said in 2016 he could never vote for Trump. Then in 2020, with Trump dominating the Republican Party, Faulconer said he did vote to keep the president in office.
"He can't reject Trumpism and still expect the Republican base to turn out for him if he wants to advance in California politics," Kousser said of Faulconer's strategy.
RELATED: Mayor Faulconer Speaks On Chargers, Trump And His Potential Run For Governor
Beyond being a Republican with some name recognition, Faulconer does not have much to run on, according to Gil Cabrera, an attorney who's served on several city of San Diego boards and commissions. He said Faulconer mostly avoided big scandals while in office.
"But we also had budget deficits during a growing economy," Cabrera said. "All the things that a Republican would normally run on, I don't know that he would be able to."
In December, Faulconer was appointed a visiting professor of community leadership and government innovation at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy in Malibu. His service at the school began Friday.
Faulconer will teach a new graduate course, titled "Innovative Local Leadership," in the school's State and Local Policy specialization.
