Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Jennifer Siebel Newsom

5. Jennifer Siebel Newsom

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, married to Gov. Gavin Newsom and commonly referred to as “First Partner of California,” suffered through a burst of critical media attention last fall when she sobbingly testified at the sexual assault trial of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. “It was a horrific experience. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” she later told an LA Times reporter. Not exactly the traditional role of a governor’s wife, but Siebel Newsom has spent much of her professional life dealing with the media-driven misperceptions of powerful women. As First Partner, she has denounced toxic masculinity and gender stereotypes, pushed for health care reform, gender pay equity and improved early childhood education. She breaks the mold in other ways, too: She’s a documentary filmmaker with an MBA from Stanford, a former film actor (Life, Mad Men), and a vocal abortion-rights advocate. She’s clearly an important advisor and confidant of her husband, and her steady rise in the Top 100 list reflects that. And if hubby Gavin actually runs for president, Jennifer is likely to prove a potent political asset.

Updated Aug. 15, 2023