{"id":7599,"date":"2026-07-28T22:06:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T22:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7599"},"modified":"2026-07-28T22:06:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T22:06:38","slug":"ruby-rippey-a-former-newsom-staffer-offers-new-details-on-their-affair-two-decades-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7599","title":{"rendered":"Ruby Rippey, a former Newsom staffer, offers new details on their affair two decades ago"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>\n            A former staffer who had an affair with Gavin Newsom over 20 years ago offered extensive details in an essay published Tuesday by Vanity Fair, taking issue with how the California governor has more recently characterized what happened.\n    <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7597\">I trained for a half-marathon in four months as a beginning runner at 42. Here\u2019s how it went<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            Newsom, then the mayor of San Francisco, admitted in 2007 that he had an affair in the years prior with Ruby Rippey, his appointments secretary and the wife of his campaign manager, Alex Tourk. Rippey has not spoken much about the scandal as Newsom has risen in politics and emerged as a potential 2028 presidential contender.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            In the Vanity Fair piece, Rippey criticizes Newsom\u2019s description of the affair and its fallout in a memoir he published earlier this year. He wrote that it was the \u201cbriefest of affairs,\u201d and recounted how he \u201ccame clean\u201d to Tourk, a close friend.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThat detail\u2014subtle but significant\u2014is the one that stays with me,\u201d Rippey wrote. \u201cIt reads\u2014to me, at least\u2014as a version of events that gives him credit for something I had already done.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Newsom had filed for divorce from his wife, former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, before the affair, but the relationship with his subordinate was an early political stumbling block for Newsom. Tourk resigned after confronting Newsom about it, and Newsom later held a news conference where he said, \u201cEverything you\u2019ve read is true and I\u2019m deeply sorry for that.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Still, he was reelected later that year with over 73% of the vote.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThe Governor acknowledged his role and publicly apologized nearly two decades ago when he was still mayor,\u201d Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement responding to Rippey\u2019s essay. \u201cIn the time since, he met his wife, started a family, and has focused on serving Californians. He addressed this chapter of his life, including in his memoir, and out of respect for everyone involved, does not have anything further to add.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Newsom\u2019s personal life is likely to come under more scrutiny if he runs for president in 2028.\n    <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7485\">Blanche nomination uncertain as key GOP senator says DOJ \u2018radio silent\u2019 on demand to spike controversial fund<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            The governor, who has since married Jennifer Siebel Newsom, has been open about his interest in a possible White House bid as he has urged fellow Democrats to stand up more to President Donald Trump and \u201cfight fire with fire.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Writing for Vanity Fair, Rippey traces the start of the affair to the summer of 2005 and said it coincided with a period in her life when she was struggling with alcohol addiction. She said she was accountable for her actions but noted that the #MeToo movement, which started in 2017, opened her eyes to the power imbalance in their relationship.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cBoth things are true: I am responsible for what I did. Power does not distribute consequences evenly,\u201d Rippey, now sober, wrote. \u201cFor my former boss, it is a footnote in a longer arc of ascent. For me, it is the fracture that split my life into before and after.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            She said she considered whether to speak out publicly in the aftermath of the affair and was approached about writing a memoir. But she credited Kamala Harris, then the San Francisco district attorney, with giving her the best advice she received.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say anything right now, Ruby. Just pause. More time will give you better perspective,\u201d she said Harris told her.\n    <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7483\">The Trump administration is playing accounting games with dead US troops<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A former staffer who had an affair with Gavin Newsom over 20 years ago offered extensive details in an essay published Tuesday by Vanity Fair, taking issue with how the California governor has more recently characterized what happened.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ruby Rippey, a former Newsom staffer, offers new details on their affair two decades ago - 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