Gavin Newsom: California governor launches campaign to stop the recall effort against him

A new website launched by Newsom, a Democrat, to combat the recall effort seeks donations and support and is accompanied by a 30-second announcement that calls the effort “seizing power”. The ad blames “violent white supremacists like the Proud Boys, who attacked our nation’s Capitol on January 6” for the pressure that threatens Newsom’s political future.

The effort to recall Newsom began last year, fueled by anger over the restrictions he put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus in California, but gained momentum when state Republicans excelled in organizing and fundraising efforts. Proponents of the recall have gained momentum in recent weeks, with campaign leaders gathering more than one million signatures last month.

The governor defended his pandemic-related decisions on behalf of California’s 40 million residents during his state of the state speech last week, insisting that science is behind his critical choices made during the year-long pandemic.

“We suffered from the sacrifices this would require,” he said of implementing the country’s first home order last year. “We made sure that science – not politics – guided our decisions.”

The newly launched counterattack boasts big names who support Newsom, including Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Alex Padilla of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey, as well as Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont. Californian MPs Katie Porter and Ro Khanna, both Democrats, also support the effort, as does Georgia’s voting rights defender Stacey Abrams.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden is against efforts to oust Newsom.

The California Democratic Party contributed $ 250,000 to Newsom’s backtracking effort, while the Republican National Committee contributed the same amount to making the recall happen.

If the recall effort qualifies, it is unclear which month it would enter California ballots, because there are a series of bureaucratic steps that must take place at various levels of the state government before the state’s vice governor can formally call the election. revocation.