Does Bill Clinton matter anymore?

Sure, the former President is still as big a celebrity as ever, but maybe his support doesn't carry much weight anymore.

From three weeks ago:

Former President Bill Clinton has endorsed San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's campaign for governor and will come to California to fundraise for him next month, officials confirmed Tuesday.

[...]

Newsom's campaign believes the endorsement could pay off in a big way for the mayor, who has lagged in money and early polling behind another potential Democratic rival in the 2010 contest, state Attorney General Jerry Brown.

"This is a very important endorsement for us and I think that there are a lot of people out there who still have a great deal of respect for President Clinton, what he did as president and what he's doing as a senior statesman now in country," explained Newsom campaign manager Nick Clemons.

With support like that, you'd expect Newsom to close the gap between him and Moonbeam.

Alas, from today...

A new Field Poll shows California Attorney General Jerry Brown with a strong lead in next year’s race for governor, even before he’s declared himself a candidate and despite months of campaigning by his Democratic rival and three Republicans vying for their party’s nomination.

[...]

Among Democrats, Brown has a comfortable 20-point lead over Newsom with a quarter of voters undecided.

Ouch.