In the midst of a growing effort to recall Governor Gavin Newsom, the White House on Tuesday gave its support to the California Democrat.
“In addition to sharing a commitment to a number of issues with [Gavin Newsom] from facing the climate crisis to keeping the pandemic in check, [President Biden] clearly opposes any effort to remember [Gavin Newsom]”White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Psaki’s comments were made as the revocation vote gained momentum, with more than 1.4 million signatures collected so far – just before the 1.5 million needed by March 17, to trigger a revocation vote in the the middle of the year.
NEWSOM APPROVAL ASSESSMENTS FALL IN CALIFORNIA BECAUSE THE THREAT RECALL IS INTENSIFYING
While as long as California Republicans continue to add their names to the growing list of supporters, it seems unlikely that Newsom will really be forced to step down.
A poll released last week by the Berkeley Institute for Government Studies found that of the 10,000 registered voters in California surveyed, only 36 percent said they supported the effort to topple Newsom.
Biden’s public support for the California Democrat is a nod to the national attention that the recall attempt drew.
Political representatives such as ex-mayor Newt Gingrich and ex-Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, both of whom continue to have broad shoulders in conservative circles, endorsed the attempt.
Newsom faced growing reaction from Republicans for its strict response to the coronavirus pandemic, most recently putting the state under more restrictive measures when California saw an increase in coronavirus cases in December.
The Golden State reported the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country, and Los Angeles has become a focus for the virus as the county with the highest number of cases and deaths per capita of the virus in the country.
California has reported more than 3.3 million confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic and nearly 44,500 deaths.
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Despite the violent reaction from Republicans, cases across the state have dropped dramatically since December, after home requests have increased, with just over 8,200 new cases registered on Tuesday – a substantial reduction from more than 53,700 cases registered on December 15th.
Newsom declined to speak publicly about the recall campaign and ignored Fox News’ repeated requests for comment.