Gavin Newsom showcased his greasy charm on the campaign trail this weekend in New Hampshire. The California governor impressed at least one member of the voting public—Jake Sullivan, the longtime Hillary Clinton aide who served as Joe Biden's national security adviser.
Sullivan's wife, Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D., N.H.), was among the local politicians Newsom schmoozed on the trip. They palled around at a local café, pressed the flesh, and made little effort to conceal their chemistry. "Great to have Governor @GavinNewsom in my hometown Nashua this weekend!" the congresswoman wrote.
Goodlander's husband, whom she met at the Munich Security Conference, seemed to enjoy watching Newsom share the stump with his wife. "Last night my husband looked up from the board game and he said, 'That guy's got the rizz, and he's got the brains,'" Goodlander told Politico. "He's got the brains, and thank God for it. He's running the fourth-largest economy in the world." (Rizz is Gen Z slang for charisma, with an emphasis on seductive prowess.)
Sullivan, 49, presided over some of the worst foreign policy disasters in American history during the Obama and Biden administrations. So his assessment of Newsom's talents is hardly an auspicious sign for the governor's White House prospects in 2028. On the other hand, most journalists and other establishment Democrats continue to regard Sullivan as a "once-in-a-generation intellect," despite all evidence to the contrary. In 2025, Harvard disgraced the legacy of Henry Kissinger by appointing Sullivan to a professorship named after the iconic statesman.
It makes perfect sense that Sullivan was playing a board game—most likely some obscure off-market variety sold exclusively to couples with at least four degrees from Yale. He is a connoisseur of esoteric pastimes, such as curling and competitive speed walking. He has plenty of time to indulge these pursuits, having seemingly transcended the human need for sleep.
Newsom's hobbies are more conventional by comparison. A notorious philanderer, he had a months-long affair with the wife of his close friend and campaign manager, Alex Tourk. This was around the same time that Newsom, then 38 and mayor of San Francisco, started dating a 19-year-old restaurant hostess.
Sullivan, who may soon be angling for a job on a Democratic presidential campaign, continues to hone his foreign policy expertise. He launched a podcast in 2025 with Jon Finer, his old Oxford chum and top male deputy in the Biden White House.
