How California could recall Gov. Gavin Newsom – KIRO 7 News Seattle

LOS ANGELES – (AP) – The September 14 recall election in California could remove Democratic first-term governor Gavin Newsom from office. Of the 22 million sent to registered voters, just over 5 million postal ballots – the form of voting most Californians use – have been returned.

The competition is unfolding as the state has seen an increase in coronavirus cases from the delta variant and the return of masks and other mandates and restrictions in many places. Forest fires are raging in Northern California, crime rates have skyrocketed, and the homeless crisis continues unabated.

Republicans are hoping for a surprise in a strongly democratic state where the GOP has not won any national elections since 2006. The election is being watched nationwide and the outcome could affect the 2022 elections if a tightly divided Congress is again involved.

How did California get to this point? Here are some answers:

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WHAT IS A RECALL?

California is one of 20 states that have provisions for removing incumbent governor, 19 by elections. State law that sets the rules dates back to 1911 and was intended to put more power directly in the hands of voters by removing elected officials and repealing or enacting laws by putting them on the ballot.

Recall attempts are common in the state, but they rarely get on the ballot and are even less successful. The only time a governor has been removed was in 2003, when Democrat Gray Davis was ousted and voters replaced him with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. At the end of August, a federal judge rejected a lawsuit aimed at blocking the election for constitutional reasons.

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WHY IS THERE A RECALL DRIVE AGAINST NEWSOM?

The answer is simple and complicated.

The easy part: Californians got angry during the pandemic. Whipsaw jobs at home stay by Newsom, crushing job losses from shop closings, closed schools, and the disruption to daily life have pissed off almost everyone. Many of life’s routines were cut off at some point, if not entirely, whether it’s a trip to the beach or lunch at a popular taco shop.

The tricky part: In a state of nearly 40 million people, there are many grievances, including California’s purse-hogging taxes, rising food and gas prices, looming water rationing due to a prolonged drought, a homeless crisis, and the ongoing threat of forest fires. As governor, Newsom is a ready target for this resentment from voters searching for culprits.

He is also being hit by the aftermath of a multi-billion dollar fraud scandal at the state unemployment agency while he weathered a public shame that he dined with friends and lobbyists at an exclusive restaurant without a mask last fall while telling residents , they are supposed to stay at home safety.

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HOW DOES THE ELECTION WORK?

There are two questions: voters are asked if Newsom should be removed, yes or no, and then who should replace it. You will choose from dozens of replacement candidates. If a majority of voters approve the ousting of Newsom, the candidate with the most votes on the second question will become governor. Should Newsom be recalled, his successor could be elected with just a fraction of the vote. With dozens of candidates sharing these ballots, it’s possible for one winner to get 25% or less.

Statistics from Political Data Inc., a company that collects election information for Democrats, found that just over 5 million voters cast their ballots, which would translate into roughly 23% turnout if the polls continued through September 14 . Seniors vote in their usual high number, while younger voters have so far mostly ignored the competition.

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WHICH SUBSTITUTE CANDIDATES WON THE RACE?

There are 46 names on the certified ballot, including former Congressman Doug Ose, who has retired for health reasons. The 24 Republican candidates include talk radio host Larry Elder; Kevin Faulconer, former mayor of San Diego; Businessman John Cox, who was defeated by Newsom in 2018; Caitlyn Jenner, a reality TV personality and former Olympian; and Rep. Kevin Kiley.

There are nine Democrats, 10 Independents, two Greens and one Liberal. No Democrat with political stature has voted for the candidacy – the best-known Democratic candidate is real estate agent and YouTube personality Kevin Paffrath. Most of the candidates are largely unknown and have not run credible campaigns.

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WHAT DO CANDIDATES PROMISE?

Elder, who leads the field of possible replacements in polls, has promised to give a fresh look and common sense to Democratic-dominated Sacramento, and said he will quickly lift state mask and vaccine mandates. Kiley has announced that it will end the state of emergency pandemic immediately, which would automatically wipe out all state and local orders.

Faulconer has proposed abolishing state income tax for individuals up to $ 50,000 and households up to $ 100,000 to make the state more affordable for the middle class. Cox tried to attract attention by fighting a 1,000 pound (450 kilograms) Kodiak bear that he said represented the need for “animal” change in the state, and also called for a historic-sized tax cut.

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WHAT DO NEWSOM SAY ABOUT THE RECALL?

For months, Newsom redirected questions about a possible recall election, saying it wanted to focus on coronavirus, vaccinations and reopening schools. But in March, he launched an aggressive campaign strategy and began running ads to attack the recall and conduct national television and cable interviews. The main committee that spoke out against the recall had raised nearly $ 50 million by the end of July. Newsom has admitted that after a difficult year dealing with the virus and its limitations, people were anxious and tired.

Newsom, who was elected in a landslide in 2018, sees the dismissal as an attack on California’s progressive politics. Democrats say efforts to remove him are being driven by far-right and supporters of former President Donald Trump. The recall is backed by state and national Republicans, but organizers argue that they have a broad coalition that includes many Independents and Democrats.

More recently, Newsom has focused its attacks on Elder, calling him more extreme in many ways than former President Donald Trump. Elder dismisses such criticism as a political ploy to divert attention from Newsom’s account of crime and homelessness.

The governor spent much of 2020 on the defensive. But he has benefited from a record state budget surplus, which has allowed him to tour the state to announce huge new spending programs, including $ 12 billion to tackle homelessness; reviews up to $ 1,100 for millions of low and middle earners who struggled during lockdown; and $ 2.7 billion for free kindergarten for all 4-year-old children in the state.

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HOW PRECARE IS NEWSOM’S CONTINUATION IN ITS JOB?

In the depths of the pandemic, Newsom’s popularity collapsed and it appeared at risk, with widespread unrest over long-standing school and business closings. Many business owners were furious at what they saw as Newsom’s sluggish restrictions, with some opening and closing multiple times. Others rebelled against mandatory mask-wearing rules.

Earlier this year, a reopened economy and staggering tax dollars helped Newsom regain its reputation. However, when Newsom fully reopened the state on June 15, virus cases were near record lows. Since then, the cases have increased, especially among the unvaccinated.

Los Angeles County, which makes up a quarter of the state’s population, has reintroduced mandatory masking requirements for people who use indoor public places, even if they are vaccinated. California also requires K-12 students to wear masks when they return to classrooms. Such an arrangement could hurt Newsom, especially among those who felt he didn’t do enough to reopen schools last year.

Newsom itself has warned that the race is imminent, and Democrats fear many of their constituents will shrug at the competition while Republicans and Conservatives zealously vote.

Still, Newsom has an advantage over its GOP enemies – California is one of the most democratic states in the country. Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by almost 2 to 1, and the party controls every national office and dominates the legislature and congressional delegation.

The Republicans last won a national election in 2006 when Schwarzenegger was re-elected.

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