Former Newsom aide reveals details of 2005 affair in Vanity Fair essay

Ruby Rippey, Newsom’s former appointments secretary and the affair partner, recounts in a Vanity Fair essay how the 2005 relationship unfolded, disputing Newsom’s later portrayal of it as brief and detailing power imbalance and her own struggle with alcohol. She says she came clean to campaign manager Alex Tourk, who resigned after confronting Newsom; Newsom publicly apologized in 2007 and was reelected, and Rippey notes Kamala Harris urged her to pause before speaking. The piece adds to ongoing scrutiny of Newsom ahead of a potential 2028 presidential run.