A group of Republicans involved in Gov. Gavin Newsom's failed recall effort in 2021 announced Monday that they are planning a new attempt to remove him from office. This is a long-term plan that could require more than 1.3 million valid voter signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Rescue California, which campaigned in support of the 2021 Newsom recall attempt, is a major supporter of the new effort, said Anne Dunsmore, Rescue California's campaign director. Dunsmore said the group planned to deliver recall documents to Newsom's office on Monday. First reported by Politico.
She cited California's large budget deficit and Newsom's focus on Democratic campaigns in other states as reasons why voters should support the recall.
“It's not a good time for him to check out,” Dunsmore said. “But if he tries to check out, we'll kick him out.”
Newsom puts the state's budget deficit at $37.9 billion. The Legislative Analysis Service, which provides fiscal and policy advice to the Legislature, released updated estimates this month suggesting the shortfall is more than double that amount.
Newsom dismissed the recall effort as a Republican effort to distract from an unpopular push to restrict abortion and support former President Donald Trump's return to the White House.
“Trump Republicans are launching yet another futile recall effort to distract us from the existential fight for democracy and reproductive freedom.” Newsom told X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “We will defeat them.”
The governor has been raising money for Democrats in other states ahead of the November election and is actively campaigning for President Biden's re-election. On Sunday, he returned from Washington, where he attended meetings with other governors and the president and participated in a national television interview on behalf of the Biden campaign.
The new recall effort is one of more than half a dozen since Newsom took office in January 2019. None other than the 2021 recall effort, spearheaded by former Yolo County Sheriff Sergeant Orrin Heatley, qualified for the statewide ballot. .
California election law requires recall applicants to collect valid signatures from at least 12% of the total number of registered voters who participated in the previous gubernatorial election to force a statewide election. There is a 160-day deadline to collect signatures.
Supporters of previous recall efforts have criticized Newsom's decision to attend a dinner at Napa Valley's French Laundry on Nov. 6, 2020, to advise Californians at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor used this as an example of hypocrisy. Avoid gathering indoors with other households.
The same day, the coronavirus dealt another significant blow to Newsom's campaign when a judge gave recall applicants four more months to collect voter signatures. The pandemic hampered efforts to gather signatures outside grocery stores, and supporters successfully petitioned the court for an extension, with California's Secretary of State's office not objecting.
The emergence of right-wing conservative Larry Elder as a potential successor has given momentum to Newsom's continued campaign. Final result It showed that 61.9% of voters rejected the recall and 38.1% supported an effort to remove Newsom from office in September 2021.
Dunsmore said the recall campaign requires fewer signatures to qualify for the vote. She also plans to mail the petitions to the same volunteers who distributed them last time, she said.
“There's no need to reboot at all,” she said. “Now we can actually use the resources that we built over a period of time last time. We don't have to spend as much money.”
A spokesperson for Mr. Newsom said the governor and his team are taking the new initiative seriously. Newsom reported that the state had $11.8 million in cash in its owner accounts at the end of the last reporting period, which ended Dec. 31.
State lawmakers who are the target of a recall effort can raise money to thwart the effort without California's normal contribution limits.
“Trump Republicans are targeting Governor Newsom because he champions democracy and seeks reelection for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” Newsom's spokesman Nathan Click said in a statement. Because we are fighting,” he said. “He's not going to distract from that fight. Democracy is on the ballot and he's going to keep fighting.”
