‘REPUBLICAN RECALL’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Will Face Recall Vote This Year

The California governor, criticized for restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, faces a special election later this year.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will face a recall vote later this year after state election officials verified signatures on the petition to recall him. Just 43 people withdrew their signatures during a 30-day window, leaving a final total of 1,719,900 signatures—easily above the 1.5 million required to challenge the Democrat. The recall push came in reaction to the governor’s decision to impose statewide restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Newsom has dismissed it as a partisan “Republican recall” driven by white supremacist Trump supporters. There have been 54 previous efforts to recall California governors, but only one succeeded—when the Democrat Gray Davis was replaced by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Recent polling suggests that the holding of the recall vote, which could be held as early as August, has minority support in the state.