Will The Next US President Be From The San Francisco Bay Area?

As we drove by the Tesla building yesterday, I turned to my 10-year-old daughter and said “in the Bay Area, you can’t have an ego because there are too many talented people here that already have big egos.”

This town (or rather, area) is full of talent. It’s full of exceptional and innovative people. It’s also full of extremely confident and fearless people who aren’t afraid to take the lead.

It’s only a matter of time before we see the next U.S. President come out of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Here are a few names that have been thrown out as potential 2020 (or later) candidates for President.

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Founder of Tesla

If big business tycoons turned President are the rage, then why not have one of the most innovative business moguls run for office? Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and the current CEO of SpaceX has no shortage of fame. According to Business Insider, even comedian Stephen Colbert seemed to once think that a Musk presidency would be a good thing.

One problem, though— Musk is not born in the United States and was not born to American parents. At this point, Elon Musk’s political ambitions will settle with him being an adviser to the President.

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook

Sheryl Sandberg is no stranger to politics. Many outlets have thrown out her name as a potential future President. This Chief Operating Officer of Facebook once worked in the U.S. Department of Treasury. When I first read her book Lean In, my initial inclination was to say “is this a campaign pitch?”

Unfortunately for those hoping for a Sandberg 2020 bid, this executive has expressed as recently as in February that she will not be running in the 2020 election.

Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California and former Mayor of San Francisco

There is a lot of buzz about Gavin Newsom running for President one day. But the buzz doesn’t seem to be coming from him as much as from his supporters. There’s even a Newsom2020 Facebook page set up by fans and supporters hopeful for a 2020 Newsom presidential bid. This former Mayor of San Francisco and current Lieutenant Governor of California is pretty left-leaning— and perhaps may be a bit too polarizing as a candidate for President.

Besides, Gavin Newsom has his sights fixed firmly on the Governor of California spot in the near future. As for a presidential bid, he’s actually spoken out against the idea, according to Recode, saying that “Being president sounds like the most miserable job in the world.”

Kamala Harris, Current U.S. Senator and former Attorney General of California

Kamala Harris has been called a “compelling candidate” and “formidable” by some political pundits, according to AOL News. She is the first African American female to serve as Attorney General (Harris is of half African American and half Indian descent). Currently she is serving on the U.S. Senate and is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party. At the age of 52, she is poised and ready to make her mark. And her biracial heritage has the potential to energize the base in a manner reminiscent of the Obama campaign. She’s also been priming her image for a potential run say colleagues of mine whose friends have interned with her in the past.

Here’s the problem— Harris is still new to the Washington scene. While a 2020 Harris bid may be a good chance to breathe fresh life into Washington, some might argue that she simply isn’t ready yet and that while she could win, she will have an uphill battle to be successful in the role.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Actor

While he doesn’t live in the Bay Area, Dwayne Johnson was born in Hayward, California, so we’re including him in our list of potential Bay Area candidates. On the May 20 airing of Saturday Night Live, Johnson may have announced his bid to run for President in 2020. But is it for real? According to The New York Times, The Rock may actually be serious about a 2020 presidential bid.

He is uncannily charismatic and extremely versatile. After all, he’s had a career in professional wrestling, has been in a a variety of movies, and most recently voiced the character of Maui in Disney’s Moana.

OK, so he can sing, dance, and act. But can he lead a nation? According to a recent GQ interview, Johnson has some pretty solid views on policy. He has spoken before both Republican and Democratic groups and is currently an Independent, which may bode in his favor. And given the trajectory of the 2020 election, experience and qualifications aren’t a prerequisite to the Office of the President anymore.

Will 2020 be the year of a Bay Area president? Or will we see a continuation of the current administration? It has only been 100-ish days of a Trump presidency but there’s already talk of who could be next. We’ve got three years left to see who throws their hat in the ring.