Ruby Rippey, the former San Francisco mayoral aide whose affair with Gavin Newsom became a major political scandal in 2007, is revisiting the relationship nearly two decades later. In a new Vanity Fair essay, Rippey recounts how the affair unfolded, the personal fallout that followed and the advice she says Kamala Harris gave her as the scandal erupted.
Rippey was married at the time to Alex Tourk, Newsom’s campaign manager, while also working as the mayor’s appointments secretary. As the affair became public, Harris, who was then San Francisco’s district attorney, privately advised Rippey to “pause” and avoid speaking publicly or accepting a potential book deal.
Kamala Harris Urged Rippey To Stay Silent
Rippey says she approached Harris after the affair became public and received a blunt recommendation to remain quiet while the situation unfolded.
“She listens, then says simply: ‘I wouldn’t say anything right now, Ruby. Just pause. More time will give you better perspective,’” Rippey claims Harris told her after the affair became public.
The account adds another layer to a scandal that has remained part of Newsom’s political biography. Harris was serving as San Francisco district attorney at the time and would later become California attorney general, U.S. senator and vice president.
The essay also arrives as Newsom’s political future continues to attract attention, including speculation surrounding a possible 2028 presidential campaign.
Rippey Challenges Newsom’s Memoir Account
Much of Rippey’s essay focuses on what happened after the relationship ended and how the scandal was portrayed years later.
She disputes an account in Newsom’s memoir that says he was the person who “came clean” to her husband. Rippey argues that the description gives Newsom credit for a confession she says she had already made herself.
When Rippey later asked a Newsom adviser whether the governor “tells the truth” in the memoir, she says the adviser responded, “Well, we all remember things differently, don’t we, Ruby?”
That disagreement over the historical record forms a central part of Rippey’s account. She presents her version as an attempt to revisit an episode that reshaped several lives and became a defining controversy during Newsom’s time as mayor.
Inside The Relationship That Sparked A Political Scandal
Rippey describes the relationship beginning while she was working at San Francisco City Hall. Her account includes encounters at a hot tub, hotel rooms and Newsom’s Russian Hill penthouse.
“The next clear memory is getting into the back of my boss’s chauffeured town car, heading to The Carneros Inn,” Rippey wrote, later adding, “I stretch my legs across the center console and let my heels fall off. He is in the front seat. He takes one of my feet and begins to massage it, the gesture half-hidden inside the loud car.”
She says the relationship continued for months and was intertwined with alcohol, status and her own struggles during that period of her life.
Rippey wrote, “We meet and we drink. There is sex, but it isn’t the point. The point is proximity — to power, to being chosen, to feeling newly visible — no longer muted by pregnancy, by new motherhood, by the strain of white-knuckling long stretches of sobriety.”
She also recalls a meeting at a Mexican restaurant after the birth of her first child, when she says Newsom commented on her appearance.
“Hey — you look really good … You’ve lost all your pregnancy weight.”
Rippey Reflects On The Power Imbalance
Although Rippey says she entered the relationship willingly, she writes that her perspective changed over the years.
Looking back, she questions whether Newsom’s position and influence affected the circumstances surrounding the affair. She describes the broader dynamic through a reflection on the nature of power, writing that “power does not need to coerce. It only needs to exist.”
Her essay also examines her struggle with alcoholism, the collapse of her marriage and the difficult path toward sobriety.
Rather than focusing solely on the political consequences, Rippey portrays the scandal as a personal crisis that affected her marriage, career and relationship with alcohol.
The Affair Becomes Public
Rippey eventually decided to tell her husband about the affair in an email while Tourk was still working for Newsom.
Tourk confronted Newsom and resigned immediately. Soon afterward, the affair became a public scandal, forcing Newsom to address the relationship during a 2007 news conference.
Newsom acknowledged the affair and later announced that he would seek treatment for alcohol abuse.
The episode followed Newsom into his later political career, becoming one of the most scrutinized chapters of his personal history.
Newsom Declines To Revisit The Scandal
A spokesperson for Newsom said the governor has already publicly addressed the affair and does not intend to revisit the matter.
“The Governor acknowledged his role and publicly apologized nearly two decades ago when he was still mayor. In 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.”
Rippey’s latest account nevertheless brings renewed attention to the scandal, particularly her description of Harris’ private advice and her disagreement with portions of Newsom’s memoir.
Harris’ team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
