Cal Sports Report

Will Marshawn Lynch Be the Next Mayor of Oakland?

Former Cal star Lynch and California Governor Gavin Newsom discussed the issue on their podcast

Jake Curtis

Marshawn Lynch
Marshawn Lynch / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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The conversation did not appear to be entirely serious, but KRON TV reported that Governor Gavin Newsom and former Cal football star Marshawn Lynch talked during their podcast about the possibility of Lynch running for mayor of Oakland, noting that Lynch’s polling numbers are favorable.

The mind wanders through the limitless possibilities regarding what Oakland would look like with Lynch in charge.   Presumably Lynch would run as a member of the Beast Mode party, and “Skittles for All” would be the campaign slogan. 

There is no doubt Lynch is extremely popular in the East Bay.  He was a hit during Saturday morning’s College GameDay as the ESPN show’s celebrity guest game-picker on the Cal campus.

Lynch has no political experience, and he and Newsom were laughing and joking through much of the podcast, so it was probably all in fun. But if Arnold Schwarzenegger (California) and pro wrestling legend Jesse Ventura (Minnesota) can become state governors, well . . .

And the politico website, which described Lynch as “the golfcart-spinning California Golden Bear alum,” reported this about a potential mayoral bid:

“It might be a possibility,” Lynch said he recently told a confidant.

Media outlets throughout the country are running stories about this podcast that teases Lynch's possible candidacy to be the major of Oakland.

Here is how the KRON story began:

(KRON) — Could Marshawn Lynch be the next mayor of Oakland? The former NFL star and Oakland native talked on his podcast Thursday about possibly running to lead the embattled East Bay city.

His co-host, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, read off some polling numbers that pointed to Lynch having high approval ratings. The two discussed the possibility at length on their podcast “Politickin’.”

Newsom said there has been “extensive polling” and focus groups regarding the prospect of Lynch running for Oakland mayor. According to private data shared with Newsom, 43% of people have a favorable opinion of Lynch, and just 7% have an unfavorable opinion. Some others were undecided about “Mayor BeastMode.”

You wouldn't have to search too hard to find reasons for a Lynch candidacy.

Current Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is the center of controversy, so the city may be in the mood for a dramatic change.

It would be hard to find someone who personifies Oakland more than Lynch. He attended Oakland Tech High School and starred at Cal before spending 12 seasons in the NFL. When Dr. Anthony Fauci wanted to reach the Oakland community during the pandemic he did a video interview with Lynch.

The fact that the governor of California, who may have bigger political aspirations, thinks it’s a good idea to do a podcast with Lynch says plenty about the influence Lynch has.

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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