Ruby Rippey a former Newsom: New Details on Two-Decade-Old Affair
Qwenews.com – Ruby Rippey a former Newsom staffer has provided fresh insights into her relationship with California’s governor, offering context that challenges how the political figure has framed their past. In an essay published Tuesday by Vanity Fair, Rippey shared extensive details about the affair that occurred more than twenty years ago, questioning the narrative Newsom has constructed around the incident. The former appointments secretary and wife of Newsom’s campaign manager Alex Tourk has remained largely quiet throughout his political ascent, even as he emerged as a potential 2028 presidential contender.
Revisiting the Scandal
Newsom, who served as San Francisco mayor at the time, publicly acknowledged the affair in 2007. He admitted to having an affair with Rippey during the years before his mayoral admission. In his memoir published earlier this year, Newsom described the relationship as “the briefest of affairs” and recounted how he “came clean” to Tourk, a close friend. Rippey found this characterization insufficient in her new essay.
“It reads—to me, at least—as a version of events that gives him credit for something I had already done,” Rippey wrote in her reflection on Newsom’s memoir.
The timeline reveals that Newsom had filed for divorce from his wife, former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, before the affair began. Nevertheless, the relationship with his subordinate proved to be an early political stumbling block. Tourk resigned after confronting Newsom about the situation, and the governor later held a news conference where he stated, “Everything you’ve read is true and I’m deeply sorry for that.” Despite the controversy, Newsom was reelected later that year with over 73% of the vote.
Power and Perspective
“The Governor acknowledged his role and publicly apologized nearly two decades ago when he was still mayor,” Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement responding to Rippey’s essay. Gardon added that in the time since, Newsom 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.
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 emphasized that 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. “Both things are true: I am responsible for what I did. Power does not distribute consequences evenly,” Rippey, now sober, wrote.
For her former boss, the affair represents a minor episode in his political journey. For Rippey, however, it marked a profound personal transformation. “For 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,” she explained. 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.
“I wouldn’t say anything right now, Ruby. Just pause. More time will give you better perspective,” Harris told her at the time. CNN has reached out to a Harris representative for comment on Rippey’s renewed public statement.
Newsom’s personal life is likely to come under more scrutiny if he runs for president in 2028. 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 “fight fire with fire.” Rippey’s essay adds another layer to the ongoing conversation about accountability, power dynamics, and how political figures navigate their personal histories in the public eye.
