California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s response to the COVID pandemic has him fighting for his job. Today, voters are making their voices heard in a recall election.
State law allows for a recall vote if enough registered voters sign a petition supporting it, and a whopping 1.7 million Californians signed that petition in hopes of ousting the Democrat governor. That petition put the issue on the ballot, and now it’s up to voters to make the final decision.
The state leans heavily to the left with Democrats reportedly outnumbering Republicans 2-to-1. And polls have shown Newsom with a lead as he has tried to frame this recall as a battle over what he calls “Trumpism.” Stoking fears about Trump has been a key part of his effort to rally his Democrat base and get them to the polls since this isn’t a typical election year.
Late last night, Newsom got a final push by President Joe Biden who also bashed Trump, comparing Newsom’s top Republican challenger, Larry Elder, to the former president.
“The leading Republican running for governor is the closest thing to a Trump clone that I’ve ever seen in your state,” Biden told supporters at the Newsom rally.
Elder is a popular conservative talk radio host who’s been leading the pack of 46 Newsom opponents by far. If Newsom gets ousted, and if Elder were to win he would make history as California’s first Black governor.
The first question facing voters at the polls is whether to recall Gov. Newsom or not. If voters say “yes” to that question, then the winner of the recall will be determined by the second question on the ballot. That question offers 40+ candidates, giving voters a chance to pick whichever candidate they’d like to replace Newsom. Of course, if voters say “no” on the first question, the second question will be moot.
The recall effort is heavily spurred by Newsom’s severe lockdowns in response to COVID, like his attempts to shut down churches. But it’s also fueled by rising crime, homelessness, and the high cost of living in the Golden State that has caused a mass exodus of people fleeing for more business-friendly states.
Polls close Tuesday night at 8 pm Pacific Time, 11 pm Eastern.
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