In September 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom faced a recall election, and while he had more than enough votes to remain in office (61.88-38.12), there were almost five million voters who wanted him removed.
Newsom is now facing a second recall, as voters are now getting fed up with his whirlwind tour that is being perceived as his presidential run just in case Biden decides to step down from the nomination.
Talking Points…
- The Newsom tour
- Recall threat #2
- Analysis
Over the last year or so, Gavin Newsom has been touring the country and the globe, for that matter. When the Governor of California travels to China and meets with the heads of state, it surely is not the role of the governor but instead for a photo op to raise his profile and set the groundwork for a possible run for the presidency.
By no means will Newsom undercut Biden to get the nod, but he is positioning himself as the first alternate in case Biden needs to step down. Newsom checks all the boxes… he is well-spoken, well-presented, and significantly younger than Joe Biden.
Newsom has challenged Governor Ron DeSantis to a debate, he has toured many red states trying to whip up momentum, and he has traveled abroad, and this is all happening while his state's economy is going down the drain, hence the recall effort against him now.
Will a second recall effort be successful against Newsom? I would say it is not exactly going out on a limb to say he would beat it, but that is only because California voters seemed to be programmed to check the same box every time they go to the polls rather than truly voting on the issues. Regardless, if a second recall event is successful in having another recall election, it will be a massive stain on Newsom's record.
Rescue California, a citizen-led group, is the group behind the new recall petition. The group has cited homelessness, the increased cost of living, his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, illegal immigration, and crime, among others, as the reasons for Newsom to be recalled. The group goes on to call out Newsom for advancing his "presidential ambitions" while being governor:
"California needs a full-time governor who is fully focused on the serious problems the state and its citizens are facing.
"This may be our last opportunity to rescue and restore our state, while we highlight for the rest of the country the destruction Newsom has left in his wake."
Gavin Newsom responded to the second recall effort, blaming it on MAGA, stating:
"Trump Republicans are launching another wasteful recall campaign to distract us from the existential fight for democracy and reproductive freedom.
"We will defeat them."
As we noted earlier, Newsom faced an earlier recall, but the candidate running on the Republican ticket, radio host Larry Elder, was not really taken seriously. Elder is a complete and utter joke in terms of a gubernatorial campaign, yet nearly five million voters of the 12.8 million that voted in the recall election chose him over Newsom.
I am not saying that this recall effort would work, but they will clearly be able to get the signatures needed for the petition to work (1.38 million signatures needed), so it is down to finding a viable, moderate candidate would just be able to steal this election away from Newsom.
In the history of California, there have only been six successful recall elections out of 180 attempts. Three of them were against Senators, two were against assemblymen, and one against a governor, which occurred in 2003 when Democrat Governor Gray Davis was recalled and Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected to take over. It can be done again… the RNC just needs to identify the right candidate.
