Newsom Blames ‘Far-Right Partisan Power Grab’ as California Recall Vote Moves Forward

The campaign to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom took a leap forward late Monday when state officials confirmed that enough signatures have been received to trigger a vote on his leadership. In a Monday statement, the California secretary of state’s office said it had certified 1.62 million valid signatures—about 125,000 more than needed to start the ball rolling on a recall election. The anti-recall campaign now has six weeks to persuade tens of thousands of petitioners to withdraw their support—which is very unlikely—then the state legislature will have two months to debate whether a vote would be too expensive. According to The Washington Post, the election is likely to happen between mid-November and early December. In a text to registered Democrats on Monday, Newsom’s Stop the Republican Recall campaign said: “This recall attempt is a far-right partisan power grab and a waste of money. I am not going to take this fight lying down. There is too much at stake, and I intend to win.”