(The Center Square) – The California government just approved the circulation of Rescue California’s recall petition against Governor Gavin Newsom that must collect 1,311,963 valid signatures by Sept. 3 for the recall to qualify for the November ballot. In response, Newsom’s political action committee issued a new fundraising email connecting the recall to the need to give more money to support the Nevada Democratic Party.
“We’re emailing about the Republican attempt to recall Governor Newsom in California and we’ll great straight to the point: we’re asking you to help us defeat the far-right Republicans once again coming after Gavin Newsom,” wrote Newsom’s Campaign for Democracy Committee in a March 27 email. “If everyone getting this email donated just $3 to the Nevada Democratic Party today, they’d have the resources to make sure Democrats win the state’s presidential and Senate campaigns.”
New polling shows Newsom is more vulnerable than he was during the previous recall, when he coasted to victory with the support of 62% of California voters.
In February, Newsom’s approval rating dropped to just 47%, falling below 50% for the first time since 2019 after a spate of wildfires led voters to blame the governor for the state’s response.
While 70% of Democrats support the governor, only 38% of independents, and 15% of Republicans approve of the governor’s job in office.
This level of support is lower than it was in 2021, during the previous recall, after voter outrage from the governor’s COVID-19 policies’ length and harshness.
In the California recall process, citizens can vote yes or no on whether or not to recall the targeted officeholder, and regardless of whether voting yes or no, they can vote on which candidate they would choose to replace the officeholder if he or she is recalled.
During the 2021 recall, Republican Larry Elder, a prominent talk-radio host, earned 48.5% of the vote among those voting to recall the governor. Consolidation behind Elder did not occur until very late in the race, leading other Republicans to rack up 17% of the remaining vote.
Should the recall make it to the ballot, it’s possible a number of Republicans looking to raise their statewide profiles would again swarm the ballot.
