Joe Biden campaigns with California Governor Gavin Newsom on eve of recall election
- Californians are voting on whether they approve of their democratically elected governor, and if not, who should replace him
- Only one recall has ever succeeded: Arnold Schwarzenegger ousted unpopular Democrat Gray Davies in 2003
Biden made a Monday evening appearance with the embattled first-term governor in the port city of Long Beach near Los Angeles, marking Newsom’s final rally before a special election on Tuesday that will test the power of Trump’s appeal in a deeply Democratic state.
The president and governor appeared together earlier in Sacramento, the state capital, where Biden stopped during a tour of wildfire damage in the region.
“The eyes of the nation are on California because the decision you’re going to make isn’t just going to have a huge impact on California, it’s going to reverberate around the nation, and quite frankly, not a joke, around the world,” Biden said at the rally in Long Beach.
Vice-President Kamala Harris campaigned in the San Francisco Bay area for Newsom last week.
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar also campaigned in the state.
Harris, a former US senator from California, painted the recall, heavily supported financially by state and national Republican groups, as part of that party’s broader effort to oust Democrats from power and expand conservative restrictions on voting, abortion and LGBTQ rights.
Recall supporters have countered that the move to force Newsom from office gained traction from mounting popular resentment over his decisions to close schools and require masks and vaccinations during the pandemic.
Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor and lieutenant governor, entered the last day of a month-long early voting period in a strong position, with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting him and outnumbering Republicans more than 2-to-1 in balloting thus far.
Biden’s visit caps a dramatic turnaround from earlier this summer, when polls indicated Democrats were planning to vote in so few numbers that Newsom, who won election in 2018 by a wide margin, was as in danger of being ousted in a state where Republicans account for less than a quarter of registered voters.
Biden expands US vaccine requirements in bid to rein in Covid-19
A Newsom defeat would have national implications for Democrats seeking to cling to razor-thin majorities in Congress, signalling trouble as emboldened Republicans escalate their efforts to win back control of the legislative branch in next year’s congressional elections.
It also could spell the end of Newsom’s political ambitions, widely believed to include possible runs for the US Senate or the presidency.
Under California’s recall system, voters are asked to vote “yes” or “no” on whether to recall Newsom, and then to choose from one of 46 replacement candidates on the same ballot.
If Newsom fails to win a simple majority on the first question, then the candidate with the most votes on the second – even if less than a majority – automatically replaces him for the duration of his term.
Polls show Republican radio host Larry Elder, a Trump supporter, leading the race among replacement candidates among 38 per cent of those likely to vote on the second question.
Also in the race are Republicans including former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, businessman and former gubernatorial nominee John Cox and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner, along with Democrat Kevin Paffrath, a YouTube host who also jumped into the fray.
The only other time a recall election was held in California, in 2003, voters removed Democratic Governor Gray Davis and replaced him with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“We can show the rest of the nation that we won’t let Republicans drag our state backwards,” Newsom tweeted. “Make sure your voice is heard. VOTE NO.”
Donald Trump builds presidential campaign operation for 2024 US elections
Tuesday is the last day to vote. Nearly 8 million Californians already have cast mail-in ballots. Republicans tend to be more sceptical of mail voting, particularly as Trump has suggested it leads to fraud, so recall organisers are hoping Newsom’s critics show up in huge numbers for in-person Election Day voting.
Elder has said he believes “there might very well be shenanigans, as there were in the 2020 election”. His campaign website has a link to a “Stop CA Fraud” website where people can report suspicious voting activity or sign a petition demanding a special legislative session to investigate an election that isn’t even over.
On Monday, Trump, who has continued to promote falsehoods about his loss in the 2020 election, issued a statement saying, “Does anybody really believe the California Recall Election isn’t rigged?”
Additional reporting by Associated Press and Tribune News Service
