Newsom Recall Drive in California Picks up Steam
Gov. Gavin Newsom holds up a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center on December 14, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is facing a renewed recall effort amid the state's ongoing struggle against the spread of coronavirus.
Newsom faced a rough year, but it may become tougher for him as many grew outraged over his dining with friends recently, despite his warnings to avoid social gatherings and stay home.
The event fueled a recall effort that is gaining momentum. While California is no stranger to recalls, they rarely get on the ballot.
On top of that, even fewer recall movements in the state actually succeed.In fact, only one recall effort in California was successful, with Gray Davis in 2003. It is Newson's first term as governor.
California saw several recall efforts against Newsom before, but those faded. Now, this sixth attempt is gaining attention amid the critical stretch of his governorship, noted The Associated Press.
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"The big difference is this is being fueled by Republicans at the grassroots level," said Steven Maviglio, who was Davis' former press secretary.
He noted that when Davis was recalled, the dissatisfaction didn't just come from Republicans, but with Democrats as well.
Recall Organizers Find Support in Frustrated Californians
Some believe Newsom mismanaged as the governor of California.
"He's destroyed people's lives," said Randy Economy, a senior advisor to the recall campaign told Fox News affiliate KTVU.
Economy said organizers of their campaign showed increased support from people who were not happy with Newsom's handling of shutdowns and restrictions.
For the state ballots to be recalled, the effort would have to obtain roughly 1.5 million signatures. So far, they have nearly 850,000-halfway through their goal.
There was a noticeable spike in their site after Newsom was seen in the social gathering at the French Laundry in Napa.
Economy said the numbers increased "probably ten-fold, 15-fold, 20-fold" after the incident, taking it upon themselves to visit the site.
Even though the Democrat governor apologized for the blunder, the damage was already done.
The high praise he received for his coronavirus approach in spring shifted into growing public angst over health ordered take closed down schools and businesses, along with a massive unemployment benefits fraud scandal.
When asked about the recall efforts, Newsom dodged the question and said: "The most important thing we can do from an economic perspective is focus on public health, focus on mitigating the spread of this virus, eliminating this virus."
Political Experts Describe Recall Effort As A 'Long Shot'
With the rise of the recall effort, experts still believe the latest action was a long shot due to Newsom's popularity and the groups' lack of financial backing.
But Sonoma State political science professor David McCuan said this sends a message to Democratic incumbents that "Republicans aren't going away, they're going to continue to push."
In an article explaining why the attempt shouldn't be dismissed, Politico noted that the GOP is backing the effort.
The California Republican Party and its chair, Jessica Milan Patterson, have been supportive of the bill.So a fired-up recall push can expect support from the state's GOP House caucus.
When it comes to fundraising, the recall also found some muscle in Anne Dunsmore, a veteran GOP fundraiser. She told Politico that she's now a recall campaign manager and lead fundraiser.