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https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Obama-backs-Gavin-Newsom-other-California-13124911.php

Newsom was an early supporter of Hillary Clinton when she ran against Obama for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. He told Reuters in a 2007 interview that there was an unnamed Democratic candidate who “will not be photographed with me, will not be in the same room with me.”

But all is apparently forgiven as Obama and Newsom both look toward the future.

Obama’s backing of 81 Democratic candidates across the country hinted at a cautious approach to the 2018 campaign. He made endorsements only in states that already have held their party primaries, avoiding picking favorites in any Democrat versus Democrat battles.

He has made exceptions, such as when he endorsed California Sen. Dianne Feinstein in May, calling her “an indispensable leader for California.” She was running in an all-parties primary at the time against a field with other Democrats, including the one who survived to face her in the November general election, Los Angeles state Sen. Kevin de León.

The former president endorsed three of his former staffers who are running in California. He gave the nod to Eleni Kounalakis, a candidate for lieutenant governor and well-known Democratic fundraiser who was his ambassador to Hungary; Ammar Campa-Najjar, a former Labor Department worker running to unseat GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr. in San Diego’s 50th Congressional District; and Buffy Wicks, a former White House staffer running for an East Bay Assembly seat.

Obama’s staff said he will make more endorsements this fall, but there were still plenty of questions about why some familiar names were left off his list.

For instance, Obama endorsed six of the seven Democrats looking to unseat Republicans in California districts Clinton won in the 2016 presidential race. The lone exception was Gil Cisneros, a philanthropist and former Navy officer running for the open seat in Orange County’s 39th Congressional District.

The race is key to Democratic efforts to flip 23 GOP-held seats nationally and take control of the House, which Obama said was a goal of his endorsements. Cisneros’ very public opposition to Rep. Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the current House Democratic leadership may have worked against him when it came to winning the ex-president’s backing.

Other Democrats not on Obama’s list include Andrew Janz, who is running against GOP Rep. Devin Nunes of Tulare in the Central Valley; Jessica Morse, who is challenging Republican Rep. Tom McClintock of Elk Grove (Sacramento County); and state Sen. Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens (Los Angeles County), who is matched up with former Republican and current independent Steve Poizner in the race for state insurance commissioner.

Like all party leaders, Obama would support almost any Democrat against almost any Republican, but the endorsements indicate where he is most likely to spend his energy during the fall campaign.

“I’m eager to make the case for why Democratic candidates deserve our votes this fall,” he said in the statement announcing his endorsements.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth

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John Wildermuth

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John Wildermuth is a native San Franciscan who has worked as a reporter and editor in California for more than 40 years and has been with the San Francisco Chronicle since 1986. For most of his career, he has covered government and politics. He is a former assistant city editor and Peninsula bureau chief with The Chronicle and currently covers politics and San Francisco city government.

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