Gavin Newsom quits California governor race

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom attends a rally at City Hall with hundreds of police and firefighters urging the city's board of supervisors to protect public safety services and hold off the elimination of firehouses in San Francisco, California June 16, 2009.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco's Democratic mayor, Gavin Newsom, withdrew on Friday from the 2010 race for California governor, saying he lacked time to mount an effective campaign.

The mayor, known nationally for his fight for gay marriage, was lagging in recent polls behind fellow Democrat Jerry Brown, a former governor and the current state attorney general.

"With a young family and responsibilities at city hall, I have found it impossible to commit the time required to complete this effort the way it needs to -- and should be -- done," Newsom said in a statement.

The 42-year-old mayor recently married, became the father of a baby daughter and had often been on the road meeting voters across the most populous U.S. state, more than a year before the November 2010 election to succeed Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Schwarzenegger, a former movie actor, has served two terms and is prohibited from running again by California's term-limits law.

The next governor faces enormous challenges with California's budget and revenues as the world eighth-largest economy tries to bounce back from the recession.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton this month endorsed Newsom. But the mayor was behind in fundraising and the Los Angeles Times reported that, at the end of June, Brown had $7.4 million in contributions compared with Newsom's $1.2 million.

A Field Poll on October 8 found Brown running comfortably ahead of Newsom, 47 percent to 27 percent, in voter preferences for next year's Democratic nomination for governor.

"Mayor Newsom is a talented public official and I believe he has a bright future," Brown said in a statement. "I am sure this was not an easy decision."

If Brown, 71, wins the Democratic nomination, he will face one of three Republicans from the Silicon Valley technology mecca seeking their party's nomination.

That contest features former eBay Inc Chief Executive Meg Whitman; state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner; and Tom Campbell, a former state lawmaker, U.S. congressman and state finance department director.

As leader of one of America's most liberal cities, Newsom has helped shape national politics and his party on issues like the environment and gay rights.

"I will continue to fight for change and the causes and issues for which I care deeply -- universal health care, a cleaner environment, and a green economy for our families, better education for our children, and, of course, equal rights under the law for all citizens," he said.

(Reporting by Jim Christie; Writing by Mary Milliken; Editing by Peter Cooney)