CA Democratic governor Newsom's recall

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National Republicans for the first time are jumping into the effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the party’s most aggressive move yet to oust the first-term Democrat. The Republican National Committee is investing $250,000 into the recall campaign, launching a digital and texting program encouraging Californians to sign onto a petition that would qualify the recall for a vote later this year.

To this point, the national party had stayed out of the recall effort, instead leaving it up to local activists to gather signatures. Two state-based groups that have been helping to lead the push, the California Patriot Coalition and Rescue California, say they have over 1.5 million signatures and project they will have 1.6 million by the end of the weekend. Organizers must submit 1.5 million valid signatures to the secretary of state’s office by March 17 in order to qualify the recall for the ballot, but they say they are trying to gather hundreds of thousands more because elections officials inevitably deem some invalid.

The RNC is partnering with the state GOP, which has also been heavily involved in the signature-gathering push. The party’s investment is modest — but it demonstrates that as the recall is becoming more likely, national donors are increasingly zeroing in on the political fight. GOP officials say the recall — which has quickly emerged as one of the highest-profile battles of the year — is a prominent cause around which the party can unify in the run-up to the 2022 midterm elections and paper over the civil war between forces aligned with former President Donald Trump and those who want Republicans to distance themselves from him.
As part of the RNC’s investment, volunteers will phone California residents and urge them to sign the petition.

“Gov. Newsom’s authoritarian measures, blatant overreach and complete mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic have proven that he is woefully unqualified to lead the state of California,” RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. “It is time the people use their constitutional recourse to remove him from power." Anne Dunsmore, a veteran California-based GOP operative who is helping to spearhead the recall push said, “That the RNC is even thinking about entering this is even more proof positive that it’s even past picking up steam. It’s inevitable [the recall will qualify] and is one of the most important items on the national political scene this year.”
RNC officials say their decision to invest in the race will also give them an opportunity to test their volunteer capacity as they begin to prepare for the 2022 midterm elections. While Republicans haven't won a statewide race in California since 2006, last year they clawed back three of the Southern California House seats they lost in the 2018 midterms.

Newsom has come under heavy criticism in recent months for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the state’s hard-hit economy. His poll numbers have dropped in recent surveys, with one showing his approval rating down to 46 percent. The lone California gubernatorial recall took place in 2003, when then-Gov. Gray Davis was booted from office and replaced by professional bodybuilder and Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican.

Should the recall qualify for the ballot, political observers say it would likely take place in November. The ballot would have two questions: the first, an up-or-down vote on whether to remove Newsom from office, and the second being who should replace him. Should a majority of voters support a recall, the candidate with the most votes on the second question on the ballot would become governor. (Newsom would not be eligible to appear on the ballot if the recall passes.)
Still, Newsom appears to be taking the threat seriously. He has become increasingly visible over the past week, holding a series of press conferences to promote mass coronavirus vaccination clinics.
Anticipating that the recall will qualify, the would-be Newsom replacements have already begun sniping at one another. Earlier this week, Republican John Cox, a wealthy businessperson who lost badly to Newsom in 2018, began airing a TV ad targeting former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer.

Cox and Faulconer have already announced their candidacies against Newsom in 2022 and say they will seek a spot on the ballot if the recount qualifies. Former Rep. Doug Ose (R-Calif.) has also been mentioned as a potential contender, and Trump allies have been encouraging Ric Grenell, who served as ambassador to Germany and the acting director of national intelligence in the Trump administration, to jump into the race.

Organizers of the California Patriot Coalition and Rescue California say they have raised a combined $3.5 million. Most of the donations have come from within the state, though the effort has increasingly drawn attention from national givers. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s political action committee recently cut a $25,000 check. Recall leaders have used the recent cash influx to pay professional signature gatherers. David Sacks, a San Francisco venture capitalist and former Newsom supporter, has given $65,000 to help fund the effort, organizers say; other major givers are also helping.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/1 ... ans-468747
Last edited by highdesert on Sat Mar 13, 2021 12:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: RNC jumps in to help recall campaign against CA governor

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Again? Do they want to turn California into a 39 million version of the Dakotas, where 12.9% and 12.4% are infected in ND and SD, respectively, vs currently 8.7%?
Currently, just under 3.5 million Californians are infected, but at SD's rate it will add 1.3 million and at ND's over 1.5 million!

Yeah, that's how RepubliQans "fix" things--by breaking them even worse!
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: RNC jumps in to help recall campaign against CA governor

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The number of signatures to get on the ballot for a recall is low in CA. Newsom breezed through the general election thanks to the metro areas and thanks to Republicans nominating a stupid candidate like John Cox who deserved to get defeated. If Republicans coalesce around a candidate like Kevin Faulconer they could have a chance of winning, but right now it looks like Newsom will win in November. The wild card is the expected Fall surge of the coronavirus which could be a game changer. Once the secretary of state who is expected to be Newsom's hand picked nominee Shirley Weber certifies the recall, then we're in election mode for November.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: RNC jumps in to help recall campaign against CA governor

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featureless wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 2:23 pm
highdesert wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 2:15 pm Kevin Faulconer
Any of you souther CA people know anything about him?
I'm two counties away from San Diego County, but this is an article from the SD Union-Tribune which has the same owner as the LA Times. If you're not able to view it, let me know and I'll copy and paste the entire article.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/co ... r-governor
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: RNC jumps in to help recall campaign against CA governor

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For months, Gov. Gavin Newsom communicated about the COVID-19 pandemic via frequent webcasts in which he cited the latest statistics and beseeched Californians to wear masks, wash their hands and avoid crowds. In the last couple of weeks, however, Newsom has shifted venues to orchestrated outdoor events at sports arenas and other mass vaccination sites.

Newsom’s change of background scenery attracts more attention from television news crews than his staid webcasts, which is probably its true purpose. It coincides with an escalating recall campaign aimed at short-circuiting Newsom’s political career and polls showing that his approval rates have taken a beating. Tellingly, the events feature testimonials from local officials as to Newsom’s governing prowess.

At one event in Oakland, the city’s mayor, Libby Schaaf, gushed — extemporaneously, of course — “I can’t tell you how lucky we are in California to have Gavin Newsom as our governor.” At a similar event in San Diego, newly elected Mayor Todd Gloria, chimed in, “Gavin Newsom has always done the right thing to protect public health, even when it’s hard.”
Newsom feigns a lack of concern about facing a recall election later this year, brushing off reporters’ questions. “I’m not focusing on that at all,” he said Tuesday while opening a vaccination site at the 49ers football stadium in Santa Clara.

The string of outdoor events, however, implies that Newsom and his advisors believe he needs to polish up his image as an effective and caring political figure, given the negative tone of the recent polls. That concern has even spread to the White House. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden’s press secretary, Jen Psaki tweeted, “In addition to sharing a commitment to a range of issues with @GavinNewsom from addressing the climate crisis to getting the pandemic under control, @POTUS clearly opposes any effort to recall @GavinNewsom.”
The signature-gathering campaign has been attracting some serious financial support and the two Republicans who aspire to succeed Newsom are beginning to joust publicly. On Monday, John Cox, the Republican businessman whom Newsom defeated to win the governorship in 2018, launched a statewide ad campaign aimed at both Newsom and Republican rival Kevin Faulconer, the former mayor of San Diego.

The 30-second ad, titled “Gavin Faulconer” depicts both Newsom and Faulconer as corrupt politicians, citing Newsom’s infamous attendance at a maskless birthday dinner in Napa and San Diego’s purchase of an asbestos-ridden building during Faulconer’s mayoralty.
“John Cox needs a fresh start after burning piles of cash and repeatedly losing in landslide elections,” Faulconer campaign manager Stephen Puetz fired back.

Both Cox and Faulconer will run as replacements should Newsom be recalled or run against him in 2022 if the recall fails. However, their rivalry could be an impediment to Republican chances.
Were the recall to make the ballot, voters would make two decisions — whether to oust Newsom and, if so, to choose a successor. With low Republican voter registration, the GOP’s most viable strategy would be to have just one candidate and hope for a proliferation of non-Republicans on the ballot, thereby lowering the number of votes needed for a winning plurality.
https://calmatters.org/commentary/2021/ ... faulconer/

Written by Dan Walters, a journalist in Sacramento who has been there for decades.


It's highly unlikely than any Democrats will run other than Newsom, Cox will never win but Faulconer might in a constantly changing environment. CA Republican Party registration might be way down, but there are a lot of Independents/No Party Preference in CA.
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The Recall Committee said they have submitted the 1.5 million signatures and they've raised the goal to 2.0 million to cover any rejected. The CA SOS has to verify all signatures. I expect my mailbox will be filling up with campaign brochures as the recall election approaches.

https://recallgavin2020.com
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: RNC jumps in to help recall campaign against CA governor

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As California Gov. Gavin Newsom prepares for a potential recall election this year, the state Legislature passed a bill on Tuesday that would require all active registered voters get a ballot in the mail ahead of the election even if they didn’t ask for one. Lawmakers’ aim is to slow the spread of the coronavirus by encouraging people to vote by mail rather than show up in person. The Legislature did the same thing last year, back when counties had millions of dollars in federal money to help put on a presidential election during a pandemic.

So far, California has two scheduled elections for 2021, both to fill vacancies in the state Legislature. But an effort to force a recall election of Newsom has gained momentum, fueled by anger over his handling of the coronavirus and an embarrassing incident last year when the governor attended a birthday party at a fancy restaurant while encouraging others to stay home. Now, with a recall election increasingly likely, the bill could hit local governments with millions of dollars in unexpected costs during what is supposed to be an off year for statewide elections.

“It definitely would be a hardship for all the counties, because it is unanticipated,” said Sutter County Registrar of Voters Donna Johnston, who is also president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials. “We’re hoping that the state will give us some relief.” The California Secretary of State’s Office estimates the state could be forced to reimburse local governments for about $7.6 million if the recall qualifies for the ballot.
Supporters must have about 1.5 million signatures by March 17 to qualify for the ballot. Organizers say they already have collected more than that, but it’s unclear how many of those signatures will be valid. Republicans, meanwhile, are pouring cash into the effort as the signature-gathering deadline approaches.

Lawmakers did not mention the recall election during Tuesday’s debate, with Assemblyman Marc Berman saying the bill “recognizes that the pandemic has not gone away.” “It continues to threaten the health and safety of all Californians,” he said.
https://ktla.com/news/california/califo ... -election/

Even if Newsom survives the recall, he'll be damaged goods in 2022.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: RNC jumps in to help recall campaign against CA governor

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The odds of a Newsom recall election are growing. Any avid follower of California politics should circle these two dates on the calendar: March 17 and April 29.

Those are the deadlines by which, respectively, signatures must be submitted and elections officials must finish reviewing signatures in the effort to force a recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The legendary wisecrack of baseball great Yogi Berra notwithstanding, there are plenty of reasons to believe that Newsom — who in 2018 won the most lopsided governor’s race in modern California history — will have to fight to keep the job in a statewide recall election later this year.

The governor’s critics, riding a wave of public anger over COVID-19 policies and taking full advantage of every lucky break that has come their way, are showing no signs of stumbling in their effort to collect almost 1.5 million valid voter signatures on a recall petition. If things keep going in the current direction, Team Newsom may soon have to cast aside its arguments against holding an election and instead focus on winning an election.
On Friday, state elections officials released a tally of all recall signatures submitted, examined and validated as of Feb. 5.

At that point, just shy of 1.1 million signatures had been turned in. Recall backers said Friday they’ve since submitted another 178,000 signatures and are processing around 445,000 more — putting the grand total, if their self-reported numbers are accurate, at a little more than 1.7 million. It has long been assumed they’ll need a cushion of extra signatures in the event a large number are determined invalid — perhaps as many as 2 million collected before the March 17 deadline. A campaign spokesman said Friday that’s still the goal.

But here’s why the odds look strongly in their favor: Elections officials report a signature validity rate as of Feb. 5 at 83.7%. That’s an impressive number, much higher than validity rates found in most signature-gathering efforts for ballot measures. If that rate holds, it’s possible the Newsom recall campaign could clear the hurdle with the signatures its backers say they already have.
If the Newsom recall supporters succeed in gathering at least 1,495,709 valid voter signatures, a number of things that are unique to this kind of election will happen next. Most notably, there will be 30 days for any voters who signed the petition to have their names removed, and then there will be 60 days for fiscal analyses by state and legislative officials of the election’s cost.

Add to that a few days here and there for information to be shared between local and state elections offices. And then there’s a 60- to 80-day window in which Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis would have to schedule the election once it’s certified by Weber. Add all that up, and the most likely scenarios suggest a recall election in early November.

Fun fact: Had Newsom not signed Senate Bill 970 in September, which moved the 2022 statewide primary from March to June, a recall could possibly have been consolidated with the primary — probably providing the governor with a more diverse, pro-Democratic electorate than a special election, for which turnout could be much lower.

And one final twist, which came just before Weber’s office posted the new signature tally. Newsom on Friday signed Senate Bill 29 to require a ballot to be mailed to every registered voter who’s eligible to participate in any special election held in 2021. The bill’s impetus was to limit the necessity for in-person voting in special elections to fill the former state Senate seat of L.A. Supervisor Holly Mitchell and the former Assembly seat of Secretary Weber. But remember, the new law applies to any election this year — including an attempt to recall Newsom.
https://www.latimes.com/politics/newsle ... l-politics

Seeing the handwriting on the wall, Newsom on Friday stated that 10% of COVID vaccines would be reserved to vaccinate teachers as CA prepares to reopen schools. Teachers and their unions have been big supporters of Newsom.

Midterm and special elections tend to draw more Republicans than Democratic voters, which could hurt Newsom.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: RNC jumps in to help recall campaign against CA governor

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The official recall campaign against California Governor Gavin Newsom has now gathered more than 1,927,000 signatures, organizers announced on Wednesday evening. Organizers have until March 17 to gather signatures.

A total of 1,497,709 valid signatures must be collected and verified to trigger the recall election. Election officials have until April 29 to verify them.
Recall organizers have indicated they would like to submit 2 million signatures to ensure there are enough valid entires to guarantee success. The leaders of the effort say they have seen a relatively high rate of verification. If that holds true, it would mean 2 million signatures should be more than enough. When asked about the recall, Newsom has repeatedly demurred, saying he was focusing on the work before him as governor.

Newsom, in what amounts to a political counteroffensive, has been barnstorming the state for weeks opening mass vaccination sites and appearing with local officials who have extolled his leadership. But many of the governor’s appearances have been off-camera, an unusual occurrence for the charismatic Newsom.

In fact, when he announced the news that seven counties in the state were moving to less restrictive tier of his Covid-19 reopening plan this week, Newsom did so at an event that was not publicly livestreamed. That’s a big change for Newsom, who generally doesn’t mind engaging with the media, especially when he has positive news.

The governor’s office announced on Wednesday that he will appear on camera next week to deliver his third State of the State Address on Tuesday in a virtual presentation to the California Legislature from Los Angeles County.
https://deadline.com/2021/03/newsom-rec ... 234706295/
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: CA Democratic governor Newsom's recall

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As Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered his State of the State address on Tuesday, it was hard not to see in it an attempt to defend his tenure against recall efforts that are gaining steam. “We won’t change course just because of a few naysayers and doomsday-ers,” Mr. Newsom said in an empty Dodgers Stadium on Tuesday. “So to the California critics, who are promoting partisan power grabs and outdated prejudices, and rejecting everything that makes California great, we say this: We will not be distracted from getting shots in arms and our economy booming again.”

With less than a week until the deadline for supporters of the recall to collect the 1.5 million signatures required to validate the effort, Mr. Newsom may benefit from progress on the fronts where he is facing the most criticism: pandemic restrictions on businesses and school reopenings.
According to the state’s most recent report, as of Feb. 5, supporters of the effort to recall Mr. Newsom had submitted roughly 1.1 million signatures, including 798,310 signatures that had been verified by county officials. But of those, only 668,202 signatures were valid, meaning they belonged to a registered California voter.

Supporters of the recall claimed to have gathered 1,927,000 signatures as of March 3, but all signatures must be verified by the state.

For the recall to move ahead, proponents must submit 1,495,709 valid signatures to county election officials by March 17, the court-determined deadline, which was extended because of the pandemic. The number of signatures required is 12 percent of the votes cast in the most recent election for governor, the 2018 race when Mr. Newsom defeated the Republican businessman John Cox.
If enough signatures are certified to trigger a recall, the state’s lieutenant governor is required to set an election between 60 and 80 days from the date of certification. That could be extended to 180 days if it would allow the recall election to be consolidated with a regularly scheduled election.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/12/us/c ... ecall.html
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: CA Democratic governor Newsom's recall

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Late Wednesday night, the group organizing the recall of California Governor Gavin Newsom announced it had collected over 2 million signatures.
The total number collected thus far is 2,060,000, according to the campaign’s senior advisor Randy Economy.
The signatures will be looked at by officials in each of California’s 58 counties to ensure their legitimacy. According to a California Patriot Coalition press release, 1,871,573 signatures have been pre-verified internally through an outside third party vendor. The signatures will now go to registrar of voter offices in each of California’s 58 counties for verification there. The press release says that 1,800,000 signatures have already been turned in to county officials.
Earlier media reports pegged validations by local officials running above 80%, supposedly a high number which, if it continues, would mean the effort will more than qualify. If there is a recall election, it will most likely be in November and feature just two questions on the ballot: “Should Gavin Newsom be recalled?” and another asking voters to choose a replacement.
The governor has been barnstorming the state for weeks visiting Covid-19 vaccination clinics and announcing the reopenings of schools in the state, theme parks, restaurants and generally loosening the restrictions that have many Californians so angry.
https://deadline.com/2021/03/newsom-rec ... 234712417/

If they maintain their 80%, they have plenty of signatures. They have until this Wednesday to collect more.

Registered Voters Who Signed the Gov. Gavin Newsom Recall Petition
Los Angeles has the highest number of signatures, but Kings County has the highest percentage.
https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/5369983/embed
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: CA Democratic governor Newsom's recall

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged Tuesday morning that an effort to recall him is likely to qualify for the ballot, setting the stage for an expensive, bruising battle that will draw national interest in the coming months. "This one appears to have the requisite signatures," the Democratic governor said during an appearance on "The View."

While the recall effort was initially viewed as a long shot, organizers have capitalized on pandemic discontent to collect what they say are more than enough signatures to trigger an election. They must turn in around 1.5 million valid signatures by Wednesday, after which elections officials will spend weeks gauging whether proponents have hit the official threshold.

But Newsom is no longer waiting for elections officials before weighing in. After months of deflecting questions as the recall effort gathered strength, Newsom embraced a defensive campaign on Monday. He publicly addressed the recall for the first time and rolled out endorsements from a bevy of national elected officials such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker.

The governor has quickly signaled that his campaign will paint the recall effort as an outgrowth of pro-Trump extremists, a tactic that could resonate in a deeply Democratic state where the former president was deeply unpopular. He has pointed to a recall proponent having mused about microchipping immigrants and cast the campaign as a stand to safeguard California's progressive values.
Republicans haven't won a statewide office in California since 2006. Democrats have overwhelming control of the state Capitol, and 63 percent of voters backed President Joe Biden in November. But a gubernatorial recall would provide Republicans a rare opportunity to take the state's top office with a plurality of support in the right circumstances. Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger became governor in 2003 in the state's only gubernatorial recall thus far.

Recall proponents counter that Newsom's mismanagement is to blame for the recall. They point to oscillating restrictions that have burdened businesses and contributed to many California children being locked out of classrooms for months. "This recall is all about one thing: Gavin Newsom's inability to meet the challenges of this pandemic and its consequences. Like a guy caught cheating on his ... homework, he's out to make it about something — anything — else," Ron Nehring, a former California Republican Party chair who works for the campaign of Republican former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, tweeted on Monday.
https://www.politico.com/states/califor ... es-1368400
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: CA Democratic governor Newsom's recall

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Didn't know there were no restrictions on fund raising, I figured a lot of outside money would be coming into the state but now it could be unlimited. The parties will paint each other as the extremists. And the negative ads could get very ugly. A preview of 2022.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: CA Democratic governor Newsom's recall

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With backers of the recall against Gavin Newsom formally submitting the last of their petitions Wednesday, Democrats from California to Washington were readying what they hope will be a united front to keep the embattled governor in office.

Newsom’s campaign is trying to keep the party focused on fighting the recall and preventing prominent Democrats from getting into the race to replace him if it qualifies for the ballot as expected. He has racked up high-profile endorsements from Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), among others, and hopes to tie the recall campaign to former President Trump and extremist groups. The governor went on a national media tour this week, speaking out against the recall and generating both cheers from supporters and some controversy.
But it’s still unclear whether any Democrats will enter the race to replace Newsom as an insurance policy against the growing field of Republican candidates, something that happened during the 2003 recall that ended with voters ousting Democrat Gray Davis and replacing him with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
While Democrats are united in keeping a “Trump Republican” out of the governor’s mansion, progressive caucus chair Amar Singh Shergill said some more left-leaning party members are waiting to see Newsom deliver on progressive policy promises such as a universal healthcare bill making its way through the state Legislature, a fracking ban and support for eliminating the filibuster in the U.S. Senate.

“If Gov. Newsom doesn’t get on board with these progressive issues and fight for them, then he’s going to put his own candidacy at risk. Right now, we’re not looking at any other candidates, but we know there’s a simple formula for him to win,” Shergill said. “He has got to start fighting for those issues and show us that he is making progress.”
The California Democratic Party has pledged $250,000 to the campaign against the recall and launched a website, stoptherepublicanrecall.com, that Newsom promoted in a tweet on Monday when making his most direct comments yet about his fight against the effort. Other Democrats echoed Newsom’s comments in condemning recall organizers as anti-vaxxers, QAnon conspiracy theorists and nationally funded Republicans.

“This was something that was done under the Republican Administration under the thumb of the Trump followers,” said Mark Gonzalez, chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. “Republicans knew they were losing their power nationally, and they’re trying to trickle it down here to California, and now here under this administration.”
The governor’s handling of the pandemic remains a banner issue for recall advocates. Democratic leaders across the state are hopeful that by the time a recall election rolls around, likely in the fall, coronavirus cases will be down and the economy will be in better shape. California has already delivered more than 13 million vaccine doses, and the federal relief package just passed by Congress will help people’s wallets and bolster state and local budgets.
In the eyes of some Democrats, Newsom stumbled Monday when he told MSNBC’s Joy Reid that, should California Sen. Dianne Feinstein retire, he would appoint a Black woman to replace her, noting that he already had a list of several Black women whom he would consider. Newsom came under pressure late last year to fill Vice President Kamala Harris’ seat with a Black woman, but instead appointed then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla, California’s first Latino senator.

Feinstein reiterated that she had no plans to retire and Newsom downplayed his statement the next day — but not before riling up some members of the state Democratic Party Women’s Caucus, who voiced their frustrations to chair Christine Pelosi that Newsom’s theorizing about the senator’s replacement before she left office was not a good way to start the anti-recall campaign.

“I would hope that they remember there are a lot of women who vote in the recall, and it’s not a very good look to pit women together to save the job of a man,” Pelosi said of those organizing Newsom’s campaign. Pelosi agreed that stopping a Republican from getting into office isn’t enough to galvanize voters, adding that grassroots organizers want to hear from the governor directly about what his message will be.

“Don’t just assume that because we’re Democrats and we’re Democratic delegates that you don’t have to ask us,” she said. “If you don’t respect us, don’t expect us.”
https://www.latimes.com/california/stor ... vin-newsom
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Supporters of the recall targeting California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday they submitted 2,117,730 signatures by the day's deadline, a number that appears to comfortably exceed the required threshold even if some are invalid.
The final submissions will keep 58 county elections officials busy verifying the signatures. Already, proponents have registered a validity rate approaching 84 percent, higher than normal for voter-driven campaigns. County registrars have until April 29 to verify that proponents have obtained nearly 1.5 million required signatures across the state.

For all intents and purposes, however, Newsom's Tuesday acknowledgment amounted to a campaign kickoff this week. His team has already launched ads and begun raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. One more Republican, former Rep. Doug Ose, this week joined former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and 2018 GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox as candidates in the race.
The governor is seeking to tie the campaign to supporters of former President Donald Trump, who is deeply unpopular in California. Recall proponents, on the other hand, are trying to focus on intense frustration over Newsom's pandemic business closures and California lagging all other states in school reopening.
Republican recall strategist Dave Gilliard said in a tweet Wednesday that the petition signatories were “64.10% GOP; 25.30% NPP (No Party Preference); 9.00% Dem; 1.60% Other and 49.48% Female." He added that recall backers did not focus on Democratic voters, suggesting that those who signed sought petitions on their own.
Under state law, the recall ballot will ask voters two questions: Do they want to recall Newsom, and if so, whom do they want to replace him. Newsom cannot appear among the recall candidates, which leaves the door open for a Republican to win with a plurality of votes if the GOP can convince a majority of voters to oust the Democratic governor.
If county registrars verify that enough signatures have been submitted, a number of different electoral processes must take place before the recall is actually set, according to the Secretary of State Shirley Weber's office. The state elections chief will have until May 9 to notify counties that the election has qualified, then will allow voters to withdraw their signatures from May 10-June 21.

While that recission process is allowed under state law, Democratic strategists have told POLITICO that it will likely be impossible for Newsom to find enough signatories to withdraw their support, given the number of voters who have backed the recall effort. Counties then have until July 6 to notify Weber if there are still sufficient signatures. The state Department of Finance will then have from July 6 to Aug. 17 to analyze recall costs, and the state legislature will have until Sept. 16 to weigh in on those costs and budget for the recall.

At that point, Weber will then officially certify signatures for the recall on Sept. 17, the same day the Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis will declare the actual date of the election. Experts expect it will fall somewhere between October and late November.
https://www.politico.com/states/califor ... 0-mx9Oy"}}
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: CA Democratic governor Newsom's recall

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As the effort to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom from office intensifies, a critical question is whether another Democrat jumps into the race to replace him. No candidate has come forward yet, but many political experts believe it is inevitable. Democrats “won’t have any choice,” said Dan Schnur, who teaches political communication at USC and UC Berkeley. “It’s important to present a unified front, but it’s even more important for them to protect themselves.”

Darry Sragow, a veteran Democratic strategist, said the party must consider the worst-case scenario. “The fundamental point is Democrats really have to think long and hard about not having a good alternative to Gavin on the ballot if he is recalled,” he said. “That’s just the reality.”
Rumors are swirling about potential candidates quietly talking to donors and allies. They include former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who ran against Newsom for governor in 2018 but quickly endorsed him after he lost in the primary. He pivoted to the COVID-19 crisis when asked whether he would enter the race.

“At a time when we’ve lost 50,000 Californians in the middle of a pandemic, politics is the last thing we should be talking about,” Villaraigosa said. On Friday, after he tweeted about the detrimental effect of school closures — an implicit criticism of Newsom’s handling of the pandemic and one of the recall proponents’ top arguments against him — a longtime advisor to the governor lashed out at him.
My old friend Antonio will embarrass himself and forever poison his legacy if he runs,” tweeted Sean Clegg, who previously advised Villaraigosa.

Other Democrats have shot down speculation about entering the race or have publicly demonstrated their allegiance to Newsom.

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a wealthy former ambassador, has said she would not run. Rep. Ro Khanna of Fremont, a darling of the progressive left, reached out to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to get him to publicly state his disapproval of the recall and is among the leaders of the anti-recall campaign.

Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de León, who challenged fellow Democrat U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein in 2018 and is widely believed to be running for mayor in 2022, has been speaking out against the recall on Spanish-language television.
Still, some said privately that much depends on what happens in the coming months.

“I’d be crazy not to look at it,” said one well-known California Democrat who would speak candidly only if given anonymity.

Newsom’s team is feeling confident about the lack of a Democratic challenger, but conceded that that could change. “The unified support is true. Until it’s not true anymore,” said one person in Newsom’s circle who requested anonymity to speak forthrightly.
Schnur said the dilemma Democrats face is reminiscent of Gov. Gray Davis’ recall in 2003. Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante initially said he wouldn’t run, but changed his mind.

“Having another Democrat in the race takes away from Newsom’s strongest talking point — that it’s all a partisan exercise,” Schnur said. “It also gives progressives who don’t like him a reason to vote yes.”
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/ ... challenger
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: CA Democratic governor Newsom's recall

24
Elections officials in California’s 58 counties have until the end of April to review and validate signatures submitted on the petition to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, with more than 2 million turned in by last week’s deadline. But it’s possible we’ll know much earlier whether Newsom’s critics have pulled it off.

State officials reported Friday almost 1.2 million signatures have already been validated — a tally inching up to the almost 1.5 million needed to trigger a special election later this year.
https://www.latimes.com/politics/newsle ... l-politics
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

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