Organizers of a campaign to oust California Governor Gavin Newsom say they have obtained the necessary number of signatures to trigger a special election.
The secretary of state’s office will need to process the signatures and determine whether they are valid.
Randy Economy, the senior adviser and official spokesperson for Recall Gavin 2020, told Fox News on Saturday that the campaign received about 1,509,000 subscriptions – more than the amount needed. Organizers said they expect to have 1.6 million subscriptions by Sunday.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, in the center, gestures in front of local officials when talking about the COVID-19 vaccines at the Fresno Fairgrounds, Wednesday, February 10, 2021, in Fresno, California.
(The Fresno Bee via AP)
Organizers are aiming for 2 million signatures by mid-March due to the verification process and the campaign seeks a comfortable margin. The group noted that there was a 25% disqualification rate between subscriptions collected last time.
“We are not there yet. We wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate the milestone along the way. But our work is not over. We are working as hard as today as we were yesterday and we are going to work harder tomorrow,” Economy told Fox News. “And if it weren’t for this incredible group of volunteers who have dedicated so much of their lives, we wouldn’t have reached this point.”
Orrin Heatlie, the campaign’s main proponent, said he was “confident” in the work that Recall Gavin 2020 did, but did not want to become complacent.
“We will continue to work until the end and check the tape,” said Heatlie.
A spokesman for the Newsom office did not immediately return Fox News’s request for comment.
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California’s recall initiatives are not uncommon – although they rarely make it to the polls.
However, people may be particularly unhappy this year with Newsom, who has faced criticism for a series of recent events, including for violating his own strict restrictions on the coronavirus when he attended a closed dinner last year. Participants in the expensive restaurant meeting were seated nearby and did not wear masks.
The Governor of California apologized for the incident, considering it a “serious mistake”.
Economy, a senior advisor and official media spokesman for the campaign, suggested in an earlier interview with Fox News that supporters of the movement believe the governor mismanaged the coronavirus situation, adding that many small business owners in the state – such as restaurants, shop owners – have completely lost their livelihood, while large stores, like Target, have been allowed to remain open.
Newsom “put corporate interests before the people of California,” said Economy.
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Gray Davis, who was drafted in 2003, was the first drafted governor in the United States since 1921. Davis was finally replaced by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former bodybuilder and actor.
If the revocation reaches the ballot, voters will be asked whether they want to remove Newsom and who should replace him. If the majority of voters approve the revocation, the next governor will be the individual who accumulates the most votes.