Newsom beats recall effort in California
Attempt to oust governor falls flat for GOP
SACRAMENTO • California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday handily beat back a Republican campaign to oust him from office, sending a decisive message that voters in the deeply Democratic state supported his policies for tackling COVID-19, immigration and crime.
Newsom, who won his first term in 2018 by a landslide, again claimed a resounding victory in the special recall election. That means he will remain in office through his term ending in January 2023 and see his chances significantly bolstered in next year's scheduled election.
With 100% of precincts reporting late Tuesday and some mail-in ballots yet to be counted, Newsom was ahead by 28 percentage points, with 64% of voters saying he should stay in office and 36% saying he should be removed.
“I'm humbled and grateful to the millions and millions of Californians that exercised their fundamental right to vote,” Newsom said in a victory speech Tuesday night.
His win and the high turnout came as a relief to national Democrats, who already were bracing for a tough fight in the 2022 elections that will decide control of Congress. A loss in one of the party's stronghold states would have set off alarms across the country, particularly given the leading Republican challenger was a supporter of former president Donald Trump.
Newsom and Democratic leaders including President Joe Biden characterized the recall effort, heavily supported by state and national Republican groups, as part of a broader Republican agenda to oust Democrats from power and expand conservative restrictions on voting, civil rights and abortion.
“Economic justice, social justice, racial justice, environmental justice, our values where California has made so much progress, all of those things were on the ballot this evening,” Newsom said in his speech.
During his first term in office, Newsom was beset by challenges including the pandemic, homelessness, extreme drought and severe wildfires.
Though he remained popular in the nation's most populous state, conservatives angered by his liberal policies on LGBTQ rights, immigration and crime mounted a campaign to unseat him.
The effort gained momentum amid the pandemic, with many Republicans infuriated by Newsom's decision to close schools and require masks and vaccinations against COVID-19.
The leading Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder, a Black radio talk show host and Trump supporter, had vowed to remove requirements for COVID-19 vaccines and mask wearing.