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FOR the past few years Gavin Newsom has been a stimulus package for the conservative movement. His decision to allow gay marriages in San Franciscos city hall in 2004 was credited with provoking a big Republican turnout in that years presidential race. Last year he unwittingly became the star of TV advertisements in favour of banning gay marriage in California. But not content with running a city loathed by conservatives, Mr Newsom now wishes to take charge of an entire state. The young, handsome mayor has begun to raise money and hold town-hall meetings in preparation for a run at the office that Arnold Schwarzenegger will vacate at the end of next year. Mr Newsom joins a race that is thick with Bay Area politicians. Jerry Brown, the state attorney-general and former governor, grew up in San Francisco. So did Dianne Feinstein, the states senior senator, who has hinted that she may enter the race. Both leading Republican candidates have stronger ties to Silicon Valley than to anywhere else in California. Only one likely contender, Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor of Los Angeles, is from southern California, where most of the states people live. Mr Newsom is not the loony liberal of conservative tirades. By Bay Area standards he is a moderate Democrat; in San Francisco he is sometimes accused of conservatism. He is the son of a judge and part of the citys Irish Catholic establishment. A former restaurateur, he claims to be pro-business, so long as that business is environmentally sound. Mr Newsom points out that San Francisco has one of the lowest unemployment rates in California. | 
