Richard Grenell
Richard Grenell’s Morning ReportThe Hill – Presented by The AIDS Institute – Tanden’s chances plummet to lead bidding for former OMB Trump officials for political office Grenell congratulates Buttigieg for becoming the second openly gay member of the Cabinet MORE, a former Trump administration official and popular figure on the right flank of the Republican Party, suggested that he could run for governor of California as governor. Gavin Newsom
Gavin NewsomBiden shifts focus to winter storm with trip to Texas The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Presented by Facebook – J&J A-OK, Tanden in Trouble California Law will send 0 direct payments to low-income residents MORE (D) faces a recall effort by Republicans.
Speaking at the Annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, Grenell, a former acting director of national intelligence and ambassador to Germany, launched an attack on Newsom and praised the recall effort that is gaining momentum at the Golden State.
“If you want the best possible case for a recall campaign, take a look at my home state, California. California used to be Reagan’s country, the shining example of business innovation and middle-class success. But now, when you think of California, you think of uncontrolled forest fires, continuous blackouts, closed schools, closed deals, hydraulic fracturing bans and rich people abandoning the vaccine line, “he told a strident. crowd.
“In my three decades in American politics, I have never seen a better case for a recall than there is now in California,” he added. “And, of course, if a civil servant still doesn’t keep his promises and if you can’t limit your term or withdraw it in time, there is always another option: you can run against it yourself.”
Mercedes Schlapp, another former White House official, praised Grenell after his speech, saying on stage: “I don’t know, I think he would be a great governor of California.”
The comments were made amid reports that Grenell is exploring a candidacy for governor if the effort to oust Newsom moves forward.
Grenell did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill after his speech at CPAC.
Trump allies such as Fox New host Sean Hannity
Sean Patrick HannityCruz blames criticism of the Cancun trip about the ‘withdrawal of Trump’ from the media. The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by The AIDS Institute – Tanden’s chances plummet to lead former OMB officials in contests for political positions MORE and representative Matt Gaetz
Matthew (Matt) GaetzTrump will reappear on the political scene at CPAC. Former Trump officials are eyeing bidding for political positions in Cancún. (R-Fla.) He urged Grenell to launch a candidacy for governor if Newsom is revoked, and sources previously told The Hill that the former Trump official is considering this, although he acknowledged that a Republican running for state office in California would face difficult odds.
The talk of a potential Grenell offer comes as Newsom faces a recall effort that looks increasingly likely to reach the polls later this year.
Proponents of the repeal effort are looking at the mid-March deadline to gather the signatures needed to force a vote. The California Secretary of State’s office said that as of February 5, it had verified 668,202 signatures of 1,495,709 that the recall advocates need to hand in to force the recall. Another 300,000 signatures have yet to be processed, but advocates for the recall said they had collected around 1.7 million signatures in total.
Supporters need 1.5 million signatures, but they often send hundreds of thousands more in the expectation that some will be discarded as invalid.
Newsom is facing criticism on several fronts. Frustration grew among Republicans because of restrictions on the coronavirus and its impact on the economy. He also caused a firestorm by ordering some businesses to close and urged Californians to stay at home only to be seen in a chic restaurant that celebrated the birthday of a political adviser.
In a sign that controversies took their toll, Newsom’s approval rating fell from 64% in September to just 46% in late January, according to a survey conducted by the University of California-Berkeley Institute of Government Studies.
However, some observers speculate that Newsom will survive due to the deepening shade of blue in the country’s largest state. No Republican with a large following has officially thrown his hat to oppose Newsom in a revocation election, and registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by almost two to one.
Grenell would certainly bring in a large amount of pro-Trump bona fides for a run for governor and would probably excite the GOP base. However, it is not clear whether support for the former president would pay dividends in California, which Trump lost by almost 30 points.