A majority of Californians approve of his performance in office, and Democrats outnumber Republicans statewide. Yet on Sept. 14, California Gov. Gavin Newsom could still lose his job to a Republican — even if that Republican earns half as many votes
Yet on Sept. 14 Newsom could still lose his job to a Republican — even if that Republican earns half as many votes as he does. The bizarre possibility of such a seemingly undemocratic upset has politicos across America paying closer attention to this year’s California recall effort than to any since 2003 — aka, the one that gave the world Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.The answer is, well, complicated. Every California governor since Ronald Reagan in the 1960s has inspired quixotic recall petitions.
Attendees at a rally to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom at the Santa Clarita Activities Center on Aug. 15 in Santa Clarita, Calif. . According to their tracker, more Californians currently want to “keep” Newsom in office than “remove” him. But with “keep” averaging 48.8 percent and “remove” averaging 47.6 percent, that’s not enough. If those results hold on Election Day — and that’s a big if, but more on that later — then Newsom would get the boot.
That someone, it turns out, is Republican Larry Elder, a Black conservative radio host who was raised in South Central L.A. In 2003, then-Gov. Gray Davis tried to delay the election and secure a spot on the second ballot question alongside his potential replacements; the court rejected Davis’s challenge, but his lieutenant governor, Cruz Bustamante, did appear on the ballot as a Democratic backup option.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Coronavirus Today: California's pandemic politicsLeading Republicans hoping to replace Gavin Newsom as California's governor say they'll do away with mandates for masks and vaccines. Can they?
Read more »
Can California's mail-in ballots save Gavin Newsom in recall election?With questions swirling over the strength of Newsom's recall campaign, the fact that every voter in a deep blue state gets a ballot mailed to them may save him in the end.
Read more »
Newsom and Elder's mutually beneficial relationship in the California recall electionElder has Newsom to help him with Republicans, and Newsom leans on Elder’s help to beat the recall, columnist George Skelton writes.
Read more »
Opinion | The Recall Is Republicans’ Last Best Hope in Deep Blue CaliforniaIt’s a blunt tool — but it’s the only one available for delivering a rebuke to Gavin Newsom in a state with an entrenched political monoculture.
Read more »
A Democrat takes the stage to clash with Republicans in California recall debateDemocrat Kevin Paffrath joined three Republicans — John Cox, Kevin Faulconer and Kevin Kiley — in a recall debate.
Read more »
Newsom fights recall by sharpening contrast with Elder in effort to energize female votersAs conservative talk radio host Larry Elder has surged to the front of the Republican pack in the effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrats have redoubled their efforts to activate female voters to come to Newsom's defense -- warning that California could face a very different future under Elder or another Republican whose positions are largely outside the mainstream in the state.
Read more »