Former San Diego mayor joins race for California governor

LOS ANGELES ( AP) — Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced Monday he is entering the race for California governor, the first major Republican to formally step into the contest while a potential recall election aimed at Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom moves closer to qualifying for the ballot this year.

In an online video, the 54-year-old centrist Republican depicted California as a failed state freighted with scandal and witnessing an eroding quality of life. He said he is running “to make a difference, not to make promises.”

“He’s failed us,” he said of Newsom. “I know we can clean up California.”

Faulconer, who headed Democratic-leaning San Diego for two terms, said last year he was considering entering the race and in January formed a committee to begin raising money for a likely run against Newsom.

Earlier Monday, he attacked Newsom in a tweet that highlighted the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis and a multibillion-dollar unemployment benefits fraud scandal.

Newsom’s campaign said the governor would remain focused on distributing COVID-19 vaccine and providing relief for families and small businesses while Republicans jockey for political advantage.

“Trying to exploit a global pandemic to advance a political career exposes his craven ambition,” Newsom’s chief strategist, Dan Newman, said about Faulconer in a statement.

Faulconer’s announcement came as supporters of a possible recall that could oust Newsom from office continue gathering the nearly 1.5 million petition signatures needed to qualify the proposal for the ballot.

They have until midMarch to hit the required threshold, and organizers say they have over 1.3 million so far.